Conflict
by missmerrymak
Summary: Somebody on the team has a secret. How will it affect everyone else? Will it lead to more secrets being revealed?
1. Chapter 1

**This will probably be a short fic but maybe long I don't know yet. This is the fourth story I've started and haven't finished yet so updates might not be consistent. I'm not necessarily going by the season story lines just the dates. Hope you like it! **

It had not been a good week for Director Shepard. There was a serial killer on the loose targeting navy wives. A radical group in the Middle East was threatening to blow up a port in DC. And the SecNav was on her ass about closing a cold case. Stressed was a laughable understatement. She was on the verge of tears. Gibbs was _not_ being cooperative. Sitting at her desk she put her head in her hands. These were her ten spare minutes in the day today and she wasn't about to take them for granted. She was almost about to doze off when the door to her office burst open. Jerking her head up in surprise she saw that it was Gibbs. She tried to erase the very present drowsiness in her demeanor but he had already seen it. "Didn't get much sleep last night Die-rec-tor." He asked more as a statement emphasizing every syllable of the word Director. She sat up straighter and took a deep breath deciding to ignore what he said.

"Something I can do for you agent Gibbs?" She asked trying to make her voice sound even but some annoyance leaked icily into her speech. He shut the door behind him as he walked up to her desk.

"When are we going to do something about the serial killer?" He asked and she narrowed her eyes.

"Agent Gibbs we are doing all that we can! Now unless you or your team has had some epiphany about the case, we are doing nothing until we get more evidence!" She exclaimed angry by his tone that said she was doing nothing for the case.

"Put us back on the case." He stated simply.

"You and your team are already working on a high profile case. Once you finish this one I might consider letting you back on the serial killer case." She said coolly.

"Oh come on Jen that case is going nowhere and you know it. Give it to another team. We can handle the serial killer, they can't!" He argued trying to defend his case. She knew he was right but she didn't want him back on the case. Gibbs was starting to get too attached to it and that always led to trouble. She had taken them off the case for a reason. But she had to think about the benefit of the agency and unfortunately Gibbs was right. His team was the only one capable enough to deal with this case. She sighed.

"Fine I'll give you the case back but one more slip up and you're done." She warned and Gibbs just gave her one of his charming half smiles and walked out. That was as close to a thank you she was going to get. And she had learned to take what she got with Gibbs. She checked her watch. Her ten minutes of free time were almost up. Grumbling under her breath she slumped into her seat and tried to rid her mind of work for just a few minutes. Her phone rang angrily. She shot up and practically ripped the phone off the receiver but answered deathly calm. "Shepard."

"Mommy!" A voice on the other end screamed in delight and immediately Jenny's sour mood was gone and a smile formed on her tired face.

"Hi honey shouldn't you be in school?" She asked confused. It was one in the afternoon. Her little bundle of joy laughed happily and Jenny couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Mommy it's summer remember? I don't have to go to school anymore!" She exclaimed happily. Jenny cursed her stupid memory. How could she forget? Her daughter was out of school and would be coming home soon.

"That's right how could I forget? So what have you been up to with Grandma and Aunty Heather?" She asked leaning back in her chair casually and twirling a piece of hair on the end of her finger still smiling like a fool.

"We had a lot of fun! I went to the pool yesterday!" She exclaimed squealing. Jenny pulled the phone away from her ear quickly; her daughter sure had her lungs.

"That sounds like fun! Are you having fun with your cousins?" Jenny asked softly.

"Yeah mommy their really fun. Anna plays with me all the time but Jacob has cooties so I don't play with him as much." She said sweetly. Jenny chuckled.

"Well boys won't have cooties forever." She explained. Jenny could hear her daughter making a 'yucky' sound over the phone.

"No he will mommy." She said stubbornly and Jenny decided not to argue but change the subject.

"Do you remember when you're going to come home?" She asked excitedly.

"In two days!" She exclaimed and from the noises she could tell her daughter was jumping up and down with excitement. Jenny could hear her heavy breathing and smiled.

"I know! I can't wait to see you!" She exclaimed.

"Me too. I miss you mommy." She added softly and sadly. It brought tears to Jenny's eyes.

"I know baby I miss you too. But you'll get to spend the whole summer with me!" She exclaimed happily at the end.

"Yay!" She yelled.

"Sweetie can I talk to Aunt Heather?" She asked softly.

"Okay. I love you mommy!" She exclaimed happily and in the background Jenny could hear the patter of her little feet on a hard surface and smiled. It was almost like her daughter was there with her.

"I love you too Lauren." Jenny said affectionately.

"Here's Aunt Heather." She said before the phone was handed off the Jenny's older sister.

"Hi Jenny." She said.

"Hi Heather. How's Lauren is she okay?" Jenny asked worriedly.

"She's fine don't worry. Lauren is a hand full but she's definitely an amazing child." Heather said and it brought a smile to Jenny's lips. But it disappeared when she realized how little she had seen of her amazing child.

"I feel so bad Heather. I never see her. I feel like I just abandoned her." She said sadly.

"Don't do this to yourself Jenny you had no choice. With your lifestyle raising a kid is next to impossible." Heather said trying to make her sister feel better.

"Heather I only see her during the summer! I feel like I don't know my own daughter!" She exclaimed sadly.

"Well maybe we can figure something out so you can see her more. But for now you should take what you can get." Heather said reminding Jenny of the judge that had ruled her lifestyle unfit for raising a child. That was when she was an agent traveling all around the world on classified missions. Now she was settled down and could raise a child. At least she liked to think she could. Some nights she didn't even go home though. And she was always working. But still she liked to think that one day her child would be home to stay. The judge she had when Lauren was a baby was retired and they had been waiting for four years for a judge to hear their case again and in that time Jenny has tried to settle down more and more. Get home before midnight and keep her house clean, things like that.

"Yeah." Jenny said distracted by her thoughts.

"Remember Lauren will be landing on Saturday at ten am at Dulles terminal 4C. Be there or human resources will have a fit." Heather said reminding Jenny of the one time she had been late to the airport. They had taken her daughter for three days while Jenny was hysterically trying to sort out the mess.

"Yeah I'll be there." Jenny promised.

The next day was busier than the last. Finally team Gibbs had caught up with the serial killer and was on his heels so to speak. They were a hair away from catching the guy. Jenny was down in the bull pen with the team. She only had a few meetings today and decided to check up on their high profile case. The team was working furiously and Gibbs had just left to go get coffee. "How close are you?" Jenny asked suddenly. Tony looked up at her.

"Close enough to taste the bastard's nervous sweat." He said and Jenny laughed.

"Okay well I want to know when you have something." She said to the team and walked into the elevator. As soon as she was alone and away from work her wonderful daughter slipped into her thoughts. It made her smile just thinking about the spitting image of herself. But she was nervous. This was the first summer Lauren would be here while she was Director, well full summer. She started as Director in august of 05 when Lauren was already gone. Summer of 06 the string of judges she was reasoning with were too discombobulated and refused to let Lauren spend the summer with all the paperwork and background checks that needed to be done. So for a week she was in DC. Only a week and it was Christmas week which Jenny bought all kinds of gifts for to try and make up for the lost summer. Then fall of 06 came and no Lauren during the school year. Now it was fast approaching summer of 07 and Jenny was nervous. She had been Director for almost two years and nobody knew she had a lovely daughter who was only six years old, almost seven. She needed a friend's advice without giving away her secret. She would be too ashamed. So the elevator stopped at autopsy. She got out and walked in taking comfort in the whooshing of the automatic doors. Ducky was sitting at his desk looking through a file when Jenny came up behind him. He heard her heels clacking on the cold floor and smiled.

"Well hello Director what can I do for you today?" He asked politely, turning around. Jenny smiled genuinely.

"I'm here as a friend Ducky, call me Jenny." She clarified and he smiled and offered her a chair. She thanked him and sat down.

"So what brings you down to autopsy?" He asked curiously. Jenny sighed and didn't speak. Ducky, seeing her distress, got up. "I think I'm going to make some tea." He said and Jenny smiled warmly.

"Thank you Ducky." She said quietly. They sat in a comfortable silence while the tea was being made. And when it was ready Ducky poured two cups and waited for her to start talking. She took a sip of the tea and smiled. "This is really good." She said trying to change the subject. Suddenly she had lost her nerve and the tea topic was her way out. Ducky saw right through it though. He sighed.

"Jennifer, don't try to change the subject. What's wrong? I can see it haunting your gaze." He said in a warm Scottish accent. Jenny looked down into her tea not wanting to meet his eyes. How had she even thought she would be able to do this?

"I don't know where to begin Ducky." She said quietly.

"Start at the beginning." Ducky suggested smiling. She took a deep breath. Maybe it would be a good idea to finally get this out.

"Ducky, my daughter's staying for the summer." She said as quickly as she could. Ducky didn't catch most of it she said it so fast.

"Pardon?"

"My daughter is staying with me for the summer." She said slower this time but refused to look at him. So many questions flew through the good Doctors head but he started with the most obvious.

"Why didn't I know about this before?" Jenny took a deep breath and started to wring her hands.

"It happened after Paris and since we all lost touch after Paris I didn't think it was a big deal to tell you. I thought I wouldn't see you again. I never knew how to tell you let alone Jethro or the team. It never seemed like the right time." She said shyly still unwilling to look at him. Ducky was shocked. The next question was inevitable and was burning on his tongue.

"Is the child Jethro's?" He asked and Jenny looked up at him with tears in her emerald green eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope you like it! Reviews would be greatly appreciated as well as suggestions to improve the story. I'm sort of a beginner so anything you can do to help my writing would be great! **

Jenny looked up at him solemnly, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. "I don't know." She choked out. Ducky was confused, he furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He asked.

"I don't know okay?" she shot back angrily and Ducky backed off realizing that it must be a sensitive subject for her.

"We could always do a test…" Jenny cut him off.

"I know Duck; I could just never bring myself to do it. What if she wasn't Jethro's? What if she was…?" She trailed off and looked down ashamed as a tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto her hand. She couldn't even bring herself to think about the possibility that half of her daughters genes came from _him_. She couldn't bear the thought. It made her sick to her stomach. "Never mind." She whispered down into her cup. She felt a light hand on her shoulder.

"If you ever want to talk about it Jennifer you know I'm here." He said softly and it made Jenny smile and look up at him her eyes finally drying.

"Thank you Ducky." She said and wiped her cheek before composing herself again.

"Why isn't your daughter with you now?" Ducky asked. He was about to ask if she was with the father but seeing her reaction to that before decided to stay away from the subject. But apparently this wasn't an easy subject either because Jenny brought the tea to her lips shakily and took a sip before answering.

"When I had her I was still traveling all around Europe doing missions and eventually with Mossad and Ziva. I had been captured on a mission and couldn't get to my daughter. Once I got back to my apartment she was gone. Social services had taken her. I was hysterical and once I found out where she was they had already gotten a judge for my "case". They told me I was unfit to take care of my child so they told me I could have a relative take care of her or put her up for adoption." She choked out.

"So what did you do?" Ducky asked curious and sorry for her dear friend.

"I called up my sister in California. She was gracious enough to take her in once she found out what had happened. I couldn't bear seeing my little girl put up for adoption. I couldn't even think about it." Jenny said and took a deep breath trying to rid the tears that had welled in her eyes. It was no use and they spilled over. She cried and Ducky took her in his arms comforting her. At first he was upset that she had kept her daughter from them but then he realized how much she had been through. He couldn't imagine what she had gone through these past years struggling to keep her daughter. Jenny pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I still haven't gotten to keep her. I only get her for summers and even then social services are always knocking on my door unexpectedly. I just want my daughter back Ducky." She pleaded and he was torn to pieces by her defeated look.

"I know Jennifer and I don't blame you for keeping her a secret but I just have one question." He said and she nodded. "Why is it still a secret?"

"Because I'm ashamed Ducky! I'm the worst mother of all time! What if they ask me who the father is? What if they ask why my daughter doesn't live with me?" She exclaimed getting upset again. Just as he was about to answer the doors to autopsy swished open and Gibbs walked in to find Jenny crying with makeup streaming down her face. Ducky was trying to comfort her. He furrowed his brow as Jenny hid her face from him.

"Jethro is there something I can do for you?" Ducky asked annoyed that he had walked in at this time.

"I'm just gonna go." Jenny whispered quietly and got up. Before Gibbs or Ducky could protest she was already out the door and in the elevator. Gibbs tried to go after her but Ducky stopped him.

"Don't." The doctor said quietly, grabbing Gibbs's arm.

"What happened?" He asked concerned. Ducky sighed and sat back down.

"I think that is something you should let her tell you. In her own time." He added stressing the personal matter of their conversation. Reluctantly Gibbs sighed.

"You have the psych evaluations done?" He asked changing the subject though the sight of tears streaming down Jenny's face was still imprinted on his mind. Gibbs had only seen her cry _once_ before and it was when she thought he had died in Marseilles. What could be so bad now? He wondered but decided to take Ducky's advice and not push it.

Later that day the MCRT had made a breakthrough in the case. They had found out that the serial killer had killed again and this time slipped up just enough to get a DNA match. Gibbs practically ran down to Abby's lab. The elevator dinged open and Abby was waiting for him at her computer. "Hey Gibbs!" She exclaimed happily. Gibbs always loved that about her. That she was always happy no matter what happened.

"Hey Abs what d'ya got?" He asked as always before handing her a caf-pow. She would smile, set it down then her fingers would fly across the keyboard and bring up some test results.

"I have identified the serial killer as Brian Johnson. He has a string of misdemeanors under his belt as well as a juvenile record." She continued to explain the man. Once she was finished Gibbs gave her a peck on the cheek and left.

"His name is Brian Johnson." Gibbs said to his team once he re-entered the bull pen. Immediately they got to work on finding him.

Jenny was up in her office. She was trying her hardest to avoid Gibbs. It was embarrassing enough when he saw her crying. Now she had redone her makeup and changed her attitude. She had had enough of feeling sorry for herself. She was going to get her daughter back for good. And that meant getting back on a regular schedule and cleaning up her act. It also meant finding a judge who would look at her case. Jenny was set on her goal. There was nothing or no one who could change that now. Her door opened and Gibbs walked in. "Yes?" She asked when he didn't say anything at first. He just stared at her and closed the door behind him then walked up to her desk.

"Serial killer is Brian Johnson." He said simply.

"Is that all you came up here to tell me?" Jenny asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well I was hoping you wanted to tell me something." Gibbs said hinting at the scene in autopsy. Jenny took a deep breath.

"Jethro good things come to those who wait." She said quietly and he nodded slowly.

"We're gonna try and bait him." He said and Jenny furrowed her brow.

"That's dangerous." She stated simply.

"I know but it's a risk I'm willing to take with the bastard." He said angrily. Jenny sighed tiredly.

"When is it starting? I want to watch it from MTAC."

"Tomorrow morning." He said and Jenny swore in her head. This would be a little too close for comfort. She wanted to object.

"Okay." She found herself saying and cursed herself. That night she ran around cleaning and cleaning and setting up Lauren's room. She was nervous. She couldn't sleep. All she could think about was seeing her baby again after two years. It was too long for any mothers liking.

The next morning Jenny was up at five and at work by six. She was jittery and jumpy. A very important mission was about to take place and her daughter was coming in at the same time. If she wasn't at the airport at ten the social workers would have her head and she wouldn't see her daughter for a long time. She walked into MTAC with a full cup of coffee. Besides a few technicians she was the only one there. One of them gave her a headset which she put on as she slumped into the first row of the comfy seats. The screen in front of her flickered to life and she was looking through Ziva's point of view. It was a camera mounted on a button of her shirt. All team members were wearing ear pieces so she could communicate with everyone. Right now they were all in an alley preparing the final details of their mission. Brian Johnson targeted women by how they treated their navy husbands or boyfriends. He would lure the victims into an alley, knock the man out and drag the woman away. He would torture her for a while before finishing the deed. Ziva would have to be very cruel to Tony for this to work. McGee was stationed in the van monitoring the video feed and other electronic needs while Gibbs was watching from the shadows waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Johnson was supposed to be in this small part of town today according so some information they obtained. But they didn't know when or where so Tony and Ziva were going to make a day of it. Go to the movies, go out to eat, see the sights, go to the zoo, the whole deal. It would be amusing yet boring at the same time. The four had finished finalizing their plans and were about to split up when Jenny spoke up surprising them. They didn't know when the Director would be joining them. "When are we calling it if he doesn't show?" She asked them. As much as she knew how vital this mission was she needed to get to the airport and she was beginning to get antsy. They eyed each other.

"Midnight." Gibbs said quietly and Jenny rolled her eyes. Of course, how had she thought any different?

"I'll call in to update every hour." She informed them and she saw them acknowledge her then continue their undercover mission. It was funny to see how mean Ziva was being to Tony and their banter back and forth but after two straight hours of it she was bored. Every hour just like she promised she checked in and every hour they still had nothing. A while after her second check in she checked her watch and swore; it was nine forty. She needed to be at the airport no later than ten. Right before she practically raced out of MTAC she shouted to one of the technicians: "Call me on my cell if anything important happens!" The young man nodded and she bolted out of the room. Since she was Director she had to have one of her drivers escort her. This was one of those times she wished she could drive alone. One: she could have gotten there much faster and two: she didn't want anybody seeing her daughter. Not yet anyway. So when they arrived deathly close to ten before she got out of the car she talked to her driver. "No matter who I pick up here you will not speak of this to anyone if you value your career! Do I make myself clear?" She asked looking her driver Stanley in the eye.

"Yes ma'am." He said and she smiled at him quickly before bolting out of the car and running in her ridiculously high heels to the terminal. All she had to do was wave her badge and show them her ticket to be able to go right up to the terminal and they let her through. One of the perks of being Director. She looked for the right terminal anxiously, 4C, 4C, 4C. She said to herself and finally found it sighing in relief. She was horrified when in the terminal waiting for her was a social worker. The man looked bored out of his mind but when he saw her he wrote something down on his clip board. Her heart beat frantically in her chest. What the hell was he writing down about her? She was on time right? Instinctively she checked her watch and saw that it was ten o' five and her plane hadn't even landed yet. Sighing in relief she plopped down in a seat.

Back in the field team Gibbs was confused. The Director hadn't checked in on them yet. Like clockwork she did every hour up until last. At first they thought maybe she was just in the bathroom or out for coffee again but when ten twenty came and no check in from Jenny they were a little flustered.

In the terminal they announced that Lauren's plane would be late. So there she sat like an idiot while the scary man watched her every move and occasionally wrote something down. Ten twenty came and went when she finally saw the plane pulling into the terminal station. After a few anxious minutes the doors opened and soon people started walking out. Jenny stood up and searched the crowd for her daughter. What if she didn't recognize her? No that was silly. Finally in the sea of people she saw a short fiery red head bob out of the gate looking around for her mother. Jenny broke out into a grin and was about to call her name when she saw her. Lauren's eyes widened and her mouth opened in delight and she came sprinting over to her yelling "Mommy!" The whole way. Jenny got on her knees right in the middle of the airport and held her arms out to her daughter. After a second she saw, felt and heard her daughter slam into her practically knocking her over. It knocked the wind out of Jenny and she smiled wrapping her arms around the small girl. Lauren's small arms wrapped as tightly as they could, which wasn't very tight, around Jenny's neck. Jenny groaned as she stood up and picked up her daughter at the same time.

"You're getting heavy kiddo!" She exclaimed looking at Lauren. She smiled back goofily then buried her head in Jenny's shoulder hugging her again. Jenny hugged her back and placed a hand on her small head keeping her close while she rocked back and forth taking comfort in the warmth of her daughter. Once they broke apart she carried Lauren on her hip over to the man taking notes on them. "Have enough?" She asked raising her eyebrows and glancing at the clip board. He made his lips into a tight line and took a deep breath.

"I have to see your house before I can let her stay in your possession." He said and Jenny sighed totally forgetting about NCIS.

"Fine you can follow my car." She said and started walking to the baggage claim. After they had Lauren's bright pink bag the two walked to the car waiting out front.

Back at the undercover op Team Gibbs still didn't have anything but they wanted to hear from the Director, it was ten fifty. Then McGee spotted him and radioed to Gibbs. "Boss I see him. He's on the corner of third and Layton."

"Got it." Gibbs said to McGee and then Gibbs spoke to Tony and Ziva through the ear pieces. Immediately they headed for that location. They expected him to be looking for victims. But what they didn't expect was for him to be looking for them in particular.


	3. Chapter 3

**Reminder: I don't own NCIS or any of its characters but I do own Lauren.**

Jenny and Lauren slid into the back of the black car and Stanley turned around and was shocked to see a little girl sitting with the Director. A little girl who looked like the Director. Was she the Director's kid? He wondered but was pulled out of his thoughts by her. "Stanley, do you remember what we talked about?" She asked calmly but with a cold undertone to it. This little girl was to be kept a secret, he understood. He nodded.

"Yes Director I do. So where would you like to go?" He asked her and she smiled.

"My house please." She smiled and he turned back around and started the car. Jenny felt Lauren tugging on her shirt so she looked down at her.

"Mommy where are we going and why did that man call you direction?" She asked her face scrunched up in confusion. Jenny smiled warmly.

"We're going home. And do you remember when mommy said she got a new job?" She asked her smaller counterpart. Lauren thought hard making her eyebrows scrunch together then she nodded. "Well where I work I'm the boss and they call the boss Director." She explained.

"Ooohhh, so where do you work mommy?" Lauren asked sweetly and Jenny practically melted. She wasn't going to take her daughter for granted that was for sure.

"I work at a place called NCIS." She said smiling. When they got to Jenny's Georgetown house her driver turned around.

"Would you like me to wait ma'am?" He asked.

"Yes please I shouldn't be long." She said nodding then got out of the car with Lauren. They got her suitcase out of the trunk and walked up to the house. After a minute of digging in her purse for her keys she heard another car pull up and figured it was that social services man. Her suspicions were correct when he walked up the steps stopping behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him purse his lips, nod and write something on his clipboard. She smiled slightly and unlocked the door. Her daughter was holding onto the hem of her shirt for dear life. She looked scared. Jenny furrowed her brow and after opening the door she knelt down next to Lauren. "Sweetie what's wrong?" She asked caressing her cheek. Lauren's bottom lip quivered and Jenny thought Lauren was going to cry as tears brewed in her eyes.

"It looks scary mommy. What if I get lost?" She said as a tear rolled down her cheek. Jenny pouted her lip and swiped the tear away gently.

"Oh honey, don't be scared! I know it's tall and big but only a little bit of it is ours." She said and picked Lauren up then walked back down the steps and to the street. "See the part that looks like a box. Like it's popping out of the building?" She asked pointing and looking at her little angel who had her thumb in her mouth and tears streaming down her face. Lauren nodded. "That's ours. The other parts are somebody else's." She said wiping the left over tears away. Lauren took her thumb out of her mouth and grabbed onto Jenny's shirt. She seemed to perk up a bit.

"Okay mommy. Promise I won't get lost?" She asked looking wide-eyed in Jenny's eyes.

"I promise darling." Jenny said seriously. Lauren's omnipresent smile returned and she wrapped her mom in a tight hug before squirming to be let down. Jenny let her go and she walked back to the open door with Lauren at her side. The man was standing outside patiently. Jenny wanted to glare at him but she knew he wouldn't take it lightly and probably find a reason to take Lauren away so she didn't. Instead she just ushered Lauren inside and carried the suitcase. They walked inside her house and Jenny set the suitcase down in the entry way. Lauren looked up at her mother. "You can go look around." Jenny encouraged her and as soon as she said it Lauren ran off and Jenny smiled. It disappeared when she turned around to find that man standing there. "You know I never caught your name." She said as politely as possible.

"Carl." He said simply then walked past her to inspect her house. Though she was outraged by his mere presence she walked behind him patiently as he looked around. Once or twice they ran into Lauren as they were going up the stairs and Jenny laughed as she shouted "Be careful!" down the stairs after her. Finally after he had looked at every inch of the house he deemed it 'fit' and left. It was perfect timing because she was about to blow a fuse with his constant hmm-ing and click of his tongue as he wrote something down. She couldn't have shut the door fast enough. When Lauren heard the door close she ran down the stairs and saw her mom leaning on the door. "Hi mommy." She said happily bounding up to her.

"Hi Hun whatcha doing?" Jenny asked smiling.

"I was exploring." She stated proudly.

"Exploring huh? Well I bet all that exploring has gotten you hungry. How about some lunch?" Jenny suggested and Lauren rubbed her stomach.

"Yeah I'm hungry mommy." She said. Jenny laughed, kissed Lauren on the head and walked to the kitchen with Lauren following close behind. They got out sandwich material and started putting together sandwiches.

"Okay kiddo what's your favorite sandwich?" Jenny asked looking at Lauren. She thought for a moment.

"Ham and cheese." She said and Jenny smiled.

"Coming right up." She said and got the bread out but stopped when she saw Lauren's angry look. "What?" She asked.

"I want to make it!" She exclaimed and Jenny smiled.

"Of course you do, what was I thinking?" Jenny said and watched her child make her sandwich. Jenny cleaned up more than once but finally both hers and Jenny's sandwich was made. They sat down at the kitchen table and ate in silence.

"Mommy?" Lauren asked. Jenny turned.

"Yeah?"

"How come I don't live with you all the time?" She asked curiously but there was a little hurt in her tone too and Jenny melted.

"Lauren you know we've talked about this. I have a busy schedule and I can't take care of you all the time. Aunt Heather takes good care of you right?" She asked setting down her sandwich.

"Yeah she takes care of me. But why do you have a busy schedule? Why don't you want me here?" She asked sadly. Jenny pressed her lips into a tight line to keep herself from getting too emotional.

"Honey I do want you! And I do love you very much but I don't want to be a bad mommy. Some people think I'm bad and that I shouldn't have you so that's why you live with Aunt Heather during school."

"But you're a really good mommy!" Lauren exclaimed. "I miss you a lot when I'm at school. Aunt Heather says that I need to focus on school but I miss you too much. Aunt Heather says that's why my grades are falling. I don't know what that means though." She said and Jenny furrowed her brow. She realized that nobody was benefiting from Lauren being away during the school year. It was about time Jenny got her kid back.

"Yeah I miss you too baby. Maybe this time you won't have to leave and you can stay here forever. Would you like that?" Jenny asked hoping the answer would be yes. Lauren thought for a moment.

"Would I still get to see Aunt Heather and Anna and Jacob and Uncle Ben?" Jenny smiled.

"Of course you would honey but you'd be living with me during the school year and summer. We'd visit them for a short time." She explained.

"That would be awesome mommy! I learned that word in school!" She stated proudly.

"That's a big word Lauren good job!" Jenny said grinning. Her daughter wanted to live with her too. Now all she had to do was convince a judge she was fit to be a mom again. Jenny had completely forgotten her obligation as Director and her driver waiting outside until her phone rang. "Shepard." Jenny answered watching her daughter eat her sandwich.

"Ma'am they've seen Johnson and are in position. He's spotted agent's David and DiNozzo." The tech guy explained and Jenny remembered she had asked him to call if anything serious was happening. She cursed under her breath. She hadn't even thought about what she would do with Lauren. She was on call this weekend.

"Okay thank you I'll be there soon." She said exasperated and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Lauren asked before taking a huge bite of her almost finished sandwich.

"Work. I have to go into the office. Would you like to see where I work?" She asked figuring she wouldn't be able to get a babysitter in five minutes. Lauren jumped out of her seat.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed.

"Finish your sandwich I'll be right back then we'll leave." She said and went upstairs to redo her makeup and grab her purse.

Gibbs was watching from a park bench while Tony and Ziva yelled at each other all the way through the park. Glancing up over his book Gibbs saw that Johnson was watching them. He had a sinister smile on his face as he watched the 'couple' move around the park. "Keep up the act he's watching." Gibbs said into the microphone on his wrist discretely.

Jenny couldn't get to NCIS fast enough. Her important op was going on and she had no idea if her agents were captured or if Johnson was dead. It was nerve wracking. Between her anxious glances out the window and Lauren's constant questions she was starting to get annoyed. But she kept it together as she thanked her driver and got out of the car with Lauren. Lauren was wearing a purple backpack with books and toys to keep her busy while Jenny was in MTAC. They hurried along though the front door. She wasn't in the mood to deal with the staring employees as Jenny and Lauren walked hand in hand down the hallway to the elevator. They rode it up in silence until Lauren turned to her. "Mommy why are your feet so loud?" She asked as the elevator opened to reveal the bull pen. Jenny laughed loudly as they walked out getting glances from more employees. Thank God they didn't hear the mommy part.

"It's because I'm wearing heels." She explained. "If I took them off my feet would be quieter." She said and Lauren nodded as they walked up the stairs to Jenny's office. When they entered Cynthia started talking not noticing the little girl.

"Director they want you in MTAC immediately and the SecNav wants to talk to you afterwards." She said then looked away from her computer to see the little red head holding the bigger red head's hand. "Hi there." Cynthia said to Lauren then looked up at the Director for an explanation.

"Cynthia no one leaves or enters this room unless it's you or me. If anybody asks the room is empty." She said sternly to Cynthia. "Oh and check up on her once and a while." She said as Lauren pulled her into the office. Cynthia nodded before Jenny closed the door behind her. Well that was new, the Director bringing a kid to the office. _Maybe it was hers?_ Cynthia thought but realized it was stupid. The Director didn't have a kid right? In her office Jenny was smiling at her daughter oohing and ahhing at everything.

"It's really cool mommy!" She exclaimed happily and climbed up on the swiveling chair behind her desk.

"Okay honey, I have to go do some work but I'll be back later. If you need anything Cynthia out there will help you okay?" She asked walking up to Lauren.

"Okay mommy I love you."

"I love you too darling." She said and kissed the top of her head before leaving the office and making a beeline for MTAC. Once she got in she put on her headset and plopped down into one of the many comfy chairs of MTAC. "Okay progress report." She said into the headset as she watched Ziva walk through the park bickering with Tony. Gibbs responded.

"Johnson sees them but he's not going in yet." He informs her. She nods and watches silently.

Gibbs sees Johnson stalking them but he isn't doing anything yet. Then he starts luring them into an alley via his usual method: noise. He pretends to need help then when the unsuspecting couple comes in to help he captures them. "Should we follow?" Ziva asks quietly asking if they should go into the alley.

"Go I have your six." Gibbs said and got up and walked discreetly to the other side of the alley to capture Johnson. As Tony and Ziva entered the alley hesitantly and calling out for the 'hurt' man to show himself. They have their hands at their sides ready at any moment to pull out their guns and shoot him. They walk down the alley not seeing anything. But before they could even react Ziva's world went black and she collapsed to the ground unconscious. Tony turned around and whipped out his gun but he was too slow and Johnson whacked him on the head too sending Tony down with Ziva into a world of black. Gibbs was at the entrance of the alley when he heard a menacing cackle in his ear piece. "Nice try Gibbs." Johnson said in a whisper and then he heard the shrill cry of the ear pieces being crushed. Immediately Gibbs sprang into action and ran into the alley, gun pointed. He was met with the stench of blood and a note. It was laid gently down beside the pool of blood. Typed up on a piece of regular printer paper was: Nice try Gibbs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Let's pretend the episode Chimera took place earlier. **

Jenny sat frozen in her seat. She had no eyes all she had was ears and Gibbs wasn't speaking. She was worried. The camera on Ziva's shirt had broken when she fell and all she heard was Johnson speaking then nothing else. "Gibbs!" She said loudly as she stood up a worried expression on her face. He snapped out of his daze.

"He took Tony and Ziva. McGee get a trace on their cells find them. I'm going to look around." He told everybody who was listening. Jenny's eyes were wide with fear as she waited for another update. It felt like forever but what were actually only a few minutes. "They're not here. McGee, come process the scene." Gibbs said.

"Be there in a minute boss." McGee said.

"Scene? What scene?" Jenny asked worried.

"Blood and a note." Gibbs informed and Jenny slumped down into her seat closing her eyes and sighing.

"Okay, okay." She said tiredly. "I'll see you two back at NCIS then?" She asked running a hand down her face.

"Yeah." Gibbs said and Jenny got up and took off the headset. She walked back solemnly to her office. They needed to find the two agents and fast. Once she got in she turned to Cynthia.

"How was she?" Jenny asked wringing her hands.

"She's a great kid. The last time I checked on her she was reading." Cynthia said happily and Jenny nodded then walked into her office. Lauren saw the door open and close and looked up.

"Hi mommy." She said then continued to read.

"Hi sweetheart, what are you reading?" Jenny asked kneeling down next to her daughter who was on the floor with all her things spread out around her.

"This." She said pointing to the title with a confused look on her face.

"Winnie the Pooh." Jenny said gently and Lauren nodded.

"Yeah." She said turning the pages.

"Are you hungry? Do you have to go potty?" Jenny asked looking at her daughter concentrate on the pictures. She didn't answer at first then looked up at her.

"I have to go potty." Lauren answered shyly and Jenny smiled, stood up then held out her hand. Lauren took it and they walked out of the office together.

"Director you still need to call the SecNav." Cynthia reminded her before she could walk out the door with Lauren who was starting to do a little dance because she had to go to the bathroom so bad.

"Oh that's right thank you Cynthia but I'm kind of busy right now." Jenny said motioning to her dancing daughter.

"I have to go potty." Lauren informed Cynthia and she bit back a laugh. They walked out of the office and to the bathroom down the hall. Jenny waited for her daughter to finish up in the bathroom standing outside the stall to make sure she was okay. She held the door keeping it unlocked in case something happened. Jenny heard Lauren grunt in frustration.

"You okay honey?" Jenny asked hesitantly.

"I can't flush the toilet mommy." Lauren said sadly and Jenny smiled and bit her lip holding back a laugh. Lauren was upset that she couldn't reach the handle.

"Well why don't you come out and I'll do it for you." She said and sure enough she saw Lauren peeking out of the stall. Jenny ushered her out and then flushed the toilet for her. She had forgotten how strenuous taking care of a six year old was. When she came out Jenny found Lauren grunting again in frustration and her eyebrows were scrunched together as she tried to reach the sink.

"Mommy I can't reach it." She said and Jenny walked over and picked Lauren up from behind and held her up so she could reach the sink. When they got out of the bathroom Lauren wanted to be carried so Jenny swooped her up making Lauren shriek in laughter. Jenny laughed as well barely noticing the staring office. Her scream had echoed throughout the floor. Jenny walked back to her office with Lauren on her hip when she heard the elevator ding. _That must be Gibbs's team. _She thought and hurried to the safety of her office. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Jenny knew eventually she would have to face him with her kid but that time wasn't now. She was scared though she would never admit it. Back in her office Jenny set Lauren down.

"Okay Lauren I have to make a very important call so you have to be very quiet okay?" Jenny asked leaning down in front of Lauren so they were eye to eye.

"Okay." She said happily and bounded off to play with her dolls. Jenny smiled then sat down at her desk and picked up her phone dialing the SecNav's number. It rang twice then he picked up.

"Hello Director." He said.

"Hello sir. What is that you wanted to talk to me about?" Jenny asked watching her daughter.

"I heard the case you're working is very high profile. Would you care to update me on the situation?"

"Certainly sir. There's a serial killer by the name of Brian Johnson that would kill Navy wives." As she was saying this Lauren came over with a hair tie and a puppy dog look on her face. Jenny couldn't resist, she was like putty in Lauren's hands. Lauren situated herself between Jenny's legs facing away from her. Jenny took the hair tie and held the phone in the crick of her neck. She continued talking. "Gibbs and his team were sent out to take him down. Special agents DiNozzo and David were acting as the Navy couple and were captured. Johnson seemed to know we were coming. We're trying our hardest the get our agents back now." She said as she grabbed Lauren's thick, long red hair and gathered it on top of her head.

"Okay I want to be informed of all your process. And I want those two agents back alive."

"Yes sir so do I." she said tying off Lauren's pony tail.

"Goodbye Director." He said and the line went dead. _Somebody was in a bad mood today._ She thought as she set the phone down in its receiver then looked back at Lauren who was pulling out the nice pony tail.

"Lauren what are you doing?" She asked confused.

"Mommy I don't want a pony tail I want a braid." She said pouting. Jenny sighed and smiled.

"I'm sorry. Why don't you come here and I'll redo it." She said nicely and Lauren's smile returned.

"Okay." She said and bounded back over to Jenny. Lauren stood in between Jenny's legs again as Jenny sat on her chair behind her desk.

"Lean your head back." Jenny said and Lauren did as she was told and laughed when she saw the upside down image of her mother's head. Jenny laughed too.

"Not that far back silly." Jenny told her and steadied her head so it was in the right position. Jenny finger combed through Lauren's hair then told her she could put her head straight again. Jenny started to French braid her daughter's hair. Suddenly her intercom buzzed, it was Cynthia.

"Director I'm going out for coffee would you like anything?" She asked and Jenny smiled. Cynthia was definitely her favorite assistant she had ever had.

"Black coffee please, thank you Cynthia." Jenny said and smiled then resumed braiding her daughter's hair. Lauren had started to sing the itsy bitsy spider with all the hand motions and laughing Jenny joined in. Suddenly her office door opened and she assumed it was Cynthia. Still singing with her daughter and laughing along with her she looked up to see Ducky smiling in the doorway. Her singing faded and so did her smiled. "Ducky!" She exclaimed surprised. Lauren stopped singing too with her hands in midair and giggled.

"He doesn't look like a duck mommy." Lauren looked confused and Ducky laughed. Jenny was too shocked to even say anything or continue braiding for that matter. She was kind of scared at what Ducky would think of her daughter. At least it was Ducky who barged in and not Gibbs. She had to remind herself to start locking her office door.

"No my dear I am not a Duck that is just my nickname." He said smiling and walking in shutting the door behind him. Seeing the frozen look of shock on Jenny's face Ducky stopped. "Oh continue with her hair Jennifer if I were her I wouldn't want only half a braid done." He said smoothly and Lauren giggled.

"Yeah Mommy finish my braid!" She exclaimed and Jenny smiled then continued braiding relaxing once more. Jenny was glad that Ducky hadn't freaked out when he saw Lauren. He knew about her but he's never seen her and didn't know when she was coming. It was a miracle that Ducky was such an understanding man.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to Ducky?" Jenny asked continuing to French braid. Lauren turned her head quickly to look at the man in front of Jenny's desk in turn yanking on her hair because Jenny was still trying to braid it.

"Ow!" She exclaimed grabbing her head. Jenny laughed.

"Sweetheart you can't turn your head I don't want to hurt you!" She exclaimed and Ducky compromised.

"Why don't I come to you my dear?" He asked and rounded the desk and held out his hand. Lauren took it hesitantly. "Doctor Ducky Mallard." He said.

"Lauren Caroline Shepard." She said proudly as Jenny finished her long braid and let her go. Ducky smiled.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you." He said and Lauren smiled shyly then looked at Jenny for approval to go play. Jenny nodded and Lauren ran off to her dolls. Jenny stared at her with a content smile on her face but was interrupted by Ducky. "She's a beautiful child Jennifer." He said and Jenny snapped her head up at him and smiled.

"Yeah." She sighed. "I'm working to keep her." She said looking at him.

"Good for you Jennifer." He said happily. "When are you going to tell Gibbs?" He asked seriously. Jenny's smile and daze faded.

"What am I going to tell him!? Hey Gibbs I secretly had a kid that I've been keeping from you. Oh and also it might be yours but then again it might not be." She spat sarcastically. Ducky sighed and pressed his lips into a tight line.

"Jennifer you underestimate Gibbs. I think if you explained things to him he would take it fairly well." Ducky said quietly to try and make Jenny see some reason.

"But Ducky he had his own kid what if mine just reminds him of Kelly. He could have some anxiety attack or something! Even if I do work up the courage to tell him what if he rejects her? I don't think Lauren_ or_ I could take that kind of rejection! Never mind the fact that he'll probably hate me for not telling him." She said quietly so that Lauren wouldn't hear. Ducky sighed.

"Jennifer my dear your daughter is a lovely child from what I've seen and I think Jethro would greatly appreciate you telling him. I think he would love to be in your life again and I think that a child could help him regain some stability in his life, especially after Maddie Tyler showed up." Ducky said quietly, reminding Jenny of that day. She knew he was right but her fears dominated her reason.

"Yeah I know Ducky I know." Jenny said running a tired hand down her face. She sat contently watching her daughter read out loud quietly to herself. Sounding out all the words and scrunching up her face at the hard ones then analyzing each picture. Jenny smiled propping her head up on her hand and watched her daughter with a heartwarming smile and a glazed over look in her eyes. Ducky watched Jenny with interest to see how this scene would play out. "It's amazing how much she's grown up since the last time I saw her. She was four and now she's… well she's…" She didn't know how to finish the sentence. Ducky understood though.

"I know. It really is amazing how fast a child's mind develops." He said not wanting to interrupt her moment just yet.

"I can't believe I missed it all." She said sadly as a silent tear rolled down her cheek. Ducky saw it and leaned in next to her.

"Jennifer it's no use dwelling on what could have been. She's here now and I suggest you enjoy it." He whispered looking at her. Jenny sat up straight and wiped the tear away quickly and sniffled.

"I know Ducky. I mean this is ridiculous. I should be working on keeping her now your right. This is the second time I've cried this week. Must be some kind of record or something." She said quickly and composing herself looked at him. "What did you come up here for Ducky?" She asked changing the subject.

"I heard about Anthony and Ziva being kidnapped and I wanted to inform you on the psychological profile I have made of Brian Johnson." He said and Jenny nodded. "I found that he had a string of bad romances. His first kill was one of his girlfriends. From that I can conclude that the man does not want other men to suffer through what he had to and he will go to any means necessary to achieve his goal."

"So what's his goal?"

"I believe that Brian Johnson's goal is to rid the world of bad women because of the bad experiences he had with them."

"Why take Tony then too, along with Ziva?"

"Excellent question my dear. From my knowledge there was a note found at the crime scene that read: Nice try Gibbs. I think that Mr. Johnson knew…" Jenny cut him off.

"That Gibbs was trying to bait him which means…" Ducky cut her off.

"That he is making Ziva and Anthony into an example for anybody who tries and stops him." He finished and Jenny clenched her jaw.

"Okay Ducky thank you." Jenny said. "I should go talk to Gibbs before he comes up here." She said.

"He has to find out eventually." Ducky reminded her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well it's not going to be today." She said and walked over to Lauren and kneeled down next to her. Jenny heard her mumbling the book to herself. "Lauren I'm going to go downstairs but I'll be back in a few minutes. Are you hungry or thirsty?" She asked brushing a stray hair out of Lauren's eyes.

"I'm thirsty." She said looking up at her. Jenny smiled.

"Okay darling what would you like?" Jenny asked her daughter softly.

"Apple juice!" Lauren said excitedly and Jenny chuckled.

"I'll get you some. Are you going to be okay by yourself?" She asked and Lauren's face turned dark.

"But I want to be with you." Lauren said quietly.

"I know baby but I just have to run a few errands I promise then we can spend some time together. Being the boss is hard." She said and Jenny could feel Ducky smiling.

"But I don't want to be alone." She said her lip pouted. Then she leaned in and whispered in Jenny's ear. "I'm scared mommy."

"Do you want Ducky to stay with you?" Jenny whispered back as she felt a small hand grab onto the back of her shirt along with her hair. Lauren nodded and when Jenny pulled away she could see the terror in Lauren's eyes that her mom was leaving her, again. It nearly broke her heart to stand up and move from Lauren's touch. She walked over to Ducky. "Ducky do you mind staying with her for a few minutes. It's a new place and she's a little frightened." Jenny said and Ducky nodded.

"Not a problem Jennifer." He said and stood up straighter a glint in his eye. Jenny always saw that glint when he watched over children. Since he never had any of his own he loved playing with others. Jenny smiled and started walking to the door.

"Bye mommy I love you!" Lauren exclaimed and Jenny turned around.

"Bye sweetheart I love you too." She said before leaving the room. She couldn't bear to look at her daughter's heartbroken face any more. And she almost ran right into Cynthia.

"Here's your coffee ma'am." She said and Jenny smiled.

"Thank you Cynthia."

"Oh and Agent Gibbs is looking for you. I told him you weren't in your office if that helped at all." She said and Jenny laughed.

"Thank you. I promise I won't make this kept a secret forever." She said and walked out of her office, coffee in hand. Now she had to deal with an angry and distraught Gibbs. She couldn't imagine how furious he would be. Half his team was missing, Jenny was avoiding him and Ducky was nowhere to be found.


	5. Chapter 5

**I made a mistake! In the beginning of last chapter I said "let's pretend the episode Chimera happened earlier" Well I wasn't thinking. I meant Requiem I don't know why I said Chimera. So as a clarification I meant REQUIEM happened earlier not Chimera. **

Jenny walked down the stairs from her office and knew Gibbs was staring at her. She could feel his eyes boring into her from the bull pen. She walked into the bull pen coolly her Director's mask fully up revealing nothing. Gibbs narrowed his eyes at her momentarily. "Update?" She asked before taking a sip of her coffee. McGee spoke.

"We have all the evidence down with Abby and she should have something soon." He said.

"Thank you McGee. Ducky just told me about the psychological profile he made of Johnson. Seems as though he took Tony and Ziva to make an example out of them for anybody who tried to stop him." She said to Gibbs who just nodded slightly.

"Makes sense. All we have to do now is find his hiding place." Gibbs said and Jenny nodded just as Gibbs's phone rang. After he hung up he turned to McGee. "Bank records and recent movements, anything to track him. I'm going to Abby's lab." He said and Jenny followed him. They went to the cafeteria and got Abby a caf-pow then got in the elevator. The ride down was silent and slightly awkward. The doors opened and immediately they heard Abby's blaring music and walked inside.

"Abby turn it down!" They two both yelled at the same time and Abby jumped then turned down the music. After doing so she ran straight into Gibbs.

"Oh my gosh Gibbs I heard about Tony and Ziva! Are they going to be okay, they better be okay? There is no way they're not okay I mean Ziva can kick their ass in a minute and I mean Tony would bore them to death with his movie talk. Not that his movie talk is boring but sometimes it's a little…"

"Abby!" Gibbs yelled cutting her off. She stopped and Gibbs gave her the caf-pow. "What d'ya got?" Jenny snickered. Abby turned to her computer and pulled a report up.

"The blood is a mix of Tony's and Ziva's so they both got hit and fell then bled but since the blood was combined it looks like a lot more than it was separately. And the note is typed up with regular computer paper you can buy anywhere." She said and stopped.

"Abby you didn't call me down here to tell me you have nothing." He said and she grinned.

"Your right. The ink that the message was typed in is different. It's a special brand that's supposed to create a richer image, whatever that means. But anyway it's only sold in two places in the DC area." She said proudly. He looked at the two addresses and smiled then kissed Abby on the cheek.

"Good work Abs." He said and walked away with Jenny following.

"Wait Director!" Abby said calling her back. She turned around with Gibbs close behind both curious as to what this was about. "Can I speak to you?" She asked and Jenny nodded stepping back into the room with Gibbs on her heels. "Alone." She added and Gibbs tilted his head slightly and looked at Abby but then left. Once Abby heard the elevator ding she turned to Jenny.

"What is it Abby?" She asked walking up to the scientist.

"I heard from Jim who heard from Sam who heard from Dana who heard from…"

"Abby get to the point." Jenny said interrupting her.

"There have been rumors going around that you have a kid here with you." Abby said her voice low and her mouth in a toothy smile. Jenny sighed and smiled a little.

"I do have a kid here with me. But you can't tell anybody that Abby, especially Gibbs and the team." She said warning Abby and Abby knew this was a secret that was to be kept absolutely secret so she nodded.

"They say the kid has red hair." Abby said hinting that the kid was Jenny's. Jenny sighed and gave Abby a warm smile then patted her arm.

"Remember Abby this is a secret. We never had this conversation." She reminded Abby and walked out of the lab without another word. Abby just bit back a grin and hummed happily to herself then got back to her work. Back in the bull pen McGee was giving Gibbs and update. She listened in trying _herself_ to forget the conversation with Abby.

"Johnson's been moving his money around and recently moved it to an account in Pennsylvania." He said.

"He feels he's done with DC." Gibbs said sighing.

"We need to catch him before he moves." Jenny said surprising them. They didn't hear her arrive.

"McGee let's go." Gibbs said and McGee immediately got up.

"Where are we going boss?" He asked grabbing his gun and badge.

"1730 west park drive." He said reading off the first address Abby had given Jenny and Gibbs. Jenny watched them leave and couldn't help but be a little antsy. Two agents were missing and time was definitely of the essence. One of the agents being Ziva. Jenny and Ziva were partners starting late 2001 after 9/11. By that time Lauren had been born and turned one. Ziva was like another aunt. Since Jenny had no way to contact her sister Heather while they were on missions Jenny was forced to take Lauren with her. Ziva helped out so much with Lauren. And when social services took her away Ziva was the one there to help her through not being able to be a parent anymore. Jenny was devastated that her baby was gone but also because of how poor of a mother she had been. Ziva tried to comfort her and tell her how she didn't have a choice and it wasn't like she would never see Lauren again. It didn't help much and Jenny ended up drinking her troubles away though they never really went away. But while she was drunk Jenny told Ziva of how she didn't know who the father was because there were two men around the same time. Jenny even admitted that she had gotten_ raped_ to Ziva. Ziva didn't know how, where, when or why but she knew it had happened. Jenny didn't know that she had told Ziva and Ziva kept it that way never breathing a word of Jenny's daughter or rape to anyone.

Gibbs and McGee pulled away from the first shop to sell the ink because nobody had seen him though they did get surveillance videos just to make sure. Then they pulled into the second shop and had better luck. There were three witnesses that said they saw a man that matched his description. "Does he come here often or more than once?" McGee asked hovering the pen above his notebook.

"Oh yes he comes in every few weeks to buy more ink." The woman said nodding her head.

"Do you know what kind of car he drives?" Gibbs asked writing something down in_ his_ notebook.

"Um, I'm pretty sure it's a black sedan." She said looking thoughtful. The two agents nodded.

"Has he been here recently?" Gibbs asked.

"No he hasn't been in for weeks so he should be coming back for more soon." Apparently he had been getting ink from here for years. After getting the surveillance videos they headed back to NCIS feeling rather successful.

Ziva woke up to a throbbing head. Or more like a pounding nails into her skull kind of sensation. Letting out a low grunt of pain she sat up slowly to try and steady her swirling vision. Checking her body she found that she only had one injury and that was the cut on the back of her head. Probably made with a pipe, she concluded. Her hair was matted with blood and the area was swollen. She decided not to touch it anymore. After regaining her bearings she looked around her surroundings. She was in a concrete room with a one way mirror and a steel door. She looked around opening her eyes a little wider in her grey surroundings. Not much light was being let in. To her horror she saw in the opposite corner was Tony. He was still unconscious and chained to the floor as she realized she was too. He didn't look injured from what she could tell. "Tony." She hissed, he didn't respond so she said it louder. Still no reaction. "Tony!" She yelled and he moaned and rolled his neck slowly, finally waking up. He blinked rapidly for a while then felt the back of his head and felt the same injury Ziva has. He looked around and found her.

"Ziva are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"My injuries are just as bad as yours Tony." She said back.

"So he hasn't done anything yet." He said thinking.

"Well I would not say _nothing_." She said taking in her surroundings.

"Yeah, so what do you think? Why are we here?" He asked gritting his teeth.

"I do not know. Do you think he knows who we are?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know." He said and suddenly the door burst open causing both agents to flinch. Johnson walked into the room with a devious smile, a knife, a lemon and salt.

Jenny walked back into her office with the apple juice and found Lauren and Ducky laughing as he performed a magic trick for her. She squealed in delight as she was tricked yet again and it made Ducky laugh. She just stood in the doorway admiring her for a moment before Lauren noticed her. "Mommy!" She said and got up and ran into her arms. The breath was knocked out of her as her daughter came barreling into her but she smiled anyway and picked her up bouncing Lauren on her hip then shut the door behind her.

"Hi kiddo. I got your apple juice." She said and handed Lauren the juice box.

"Thank you mommy." She said and started drinking it. Jenny put her down and walked up to Ducky.

"Thank you Ducky for watching her. She was pretty scared when I took her to my house too." She said and Ducky nodded.

"It's very understandable. Now my dear I have to go back down to autopsy." He told her and turned to Lauren. "It was a pleasure meeting you Lauren." He said to her and she smiled her infectious smile at him.

"You too Ducky." She said and took another sip of her juice. Jenny pulled Ducky off to the side before he left.

"Ducky can you keep Lauren a secret? Just for now I promise I'll tell them but… on my own time. And with everything going on I don't think now is the right time." She said softly.

"I understand. My lips are sealed." He said and left. Jenny sat down next to her daughter wanting to spend some quality time with her in her spare time waiting for Gibbs and McGee to come back.

"Hey honey can I join in?" She asked watching her daughter play with her dolls.

"Sure mommy, sit down." She said and obediently Jenny did and they played, laughing and having fun. That is until Cynthia buzzed her over the intercom. Jenny groaned and got up.

"Director, agent Gibbs and agent McGee are back. They seem to have made some kind of breakthrough." She said and Jenny thanked her assistant and sat back down with her daughter.

Meanwhile down in the bull pen McGee had looked through the security tapes and found Johnson getting into his car. McGee managed to pull a license plate. "Get a bolo out." Gibbs said and McGee did as he was told.

Johnson walked over to Ziva. "Hello there… Ziva." He said emphasizing every syllable. "It's a very exotic name. I like it. Too bad you'll be dead soon." He said and set the salt and lemon down but came after her with the knife.

"No!" Tony shouted and Johnson turned. "No I'm the one you want. I was provoking Ziva. I've always liked a good fight." He said but Ziva glared at him. Johnson just kept on smiling scarily.

"That's cute, protecting your lover. But she did horrible things to you and I know you feel like it's your fault but it's not. It's all this bitches fault." He said spitting the last sentence and pointing at Ziva. Then he turned back to her and dragged the knife lightly across her pant leg. She tried to breathe normally and not meet his eyes. He was trying to stare into hers though as he dragged the knife slowly down her leg. Then in one swift movement before she could even react he dug the knife into her leg and she bit back a shout of pain. But Tony could see the twisted look of agony in her expression and he gritted his teeth angrily. Blood oozed out of her shallow but painful wound. Then he grabbed the salt and lemon and came back. "How could you do something so horrible to your boyfriend?" He asked but she stayed silent. "Well no matter because now you will feel the pain he feels when you abuse him like that." He said lightly as he poured salt over her wound. It stung and she let out a groan of pain. "Not enough for you? Okay!" He exclaimed happily then squeezed the lemon on her cut. Combined with the salt it was too much and finally she cried out in an agonizing cry of pain. He cackled and moved back so Tony could see. It was still bleeding but the injury itself didn't look so bad. He knew the pain must be excruciating though. Tony saw her clutch at her leg desperately trying to make the pain go away to no avail. Then Johnson moved to Tony, smiling evilly.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Johnson had left the room Tony and Ziva were covered in cuts filled with lemon juice and salt. It was excruciating. All they could do was try to clean the wounds out and try not to scream in pain. They couldn't talk it was so bad so they sat in silence for a while. Ziva cataloged her injuries. The one cut on her left leg, one on her right, two on her arms, and one on her side. They weren't that deep or long but he knew just how to cut to make it hurt. Tony had three on his legs, and two on his arms. The two agents were slipping in and out of consciousness as they lay there in silence.

Jenny was reading to Lauren. Lauren sat next to her mom on the couch and they went over their book together. Lauren read most of it and Jenny explained the hard words to her. "I don't want to read anymore." Lauren said and set the book down.

"Okay what do you want to do sweetie?" Jenny asked.

"I want to draw." She said excitedly. Jenny smiled and walked to her desk. Lauren followed closely behind. Jenny got out a pencil and a pad of paper she keeps in her desk and hands them to Lauren. She looked at the pencil with disgust. "Do you have any colors mommy?" She asked examining grey pencil.

"No I don't. Maybe you do though." Jenny suggested.

"No." She said still looking at the pencil.

"Well, have you checked? I think we should." Jenny suggested and pulled Lauren to her backpack where they dug for colors and sure enough they found a box of crayons. "See look at this!" She exclaimed and handed the crayons to an enthusiastic Lauren. Jenny set Lauren up on the floor with crayons and paper then went back to her desk to do paperwork. Soon Lauren came running over.

"Mommy, look at this picture I drew!" She exclaimed and handed Jenny the picture. "See it's me and there's you." She says pointing to each person. Jenny smiled. The two stick people had fiery red hair and Jenny had a dress on and so did Lauren. They were holding hands.

"It's beautiful darling! I'm going to leave it on my desk then when we go home I can hang it up." She said and Lauren nodded.

"Okay! I'm going to go draw more pictures." She said and ran back to her spot on the floor. Jenny chuckled to herself then watched her daughter for a moment. Her thoughts were interrupted when Cynthia's voice came over the intercom.

"Ma'am agent Gibbs is coming up the stairs." She said warning her.

"Thank you Cynthia." She said and jumped out of her seat. "Lauren I'm going to go to the bathroom I'll be back in two minutes." She said and reluctantly Lauren nodded. Jenny saw the hurt in her eyes again. It puzzled her but she didn't have time to think about it because she was going out the door as Gibbs was about to walk into it.

"Jenny!" He exclaimed surprised.

"Yeah?" She asked walking away from her office. Bewildered he followed.

"Where are you going?" He asked confused as he went with her down the stairs.

"To get coffee. What do you need?" Jenny asked. There was nothing on her mind but the face Lauren made when she said she was leaving.

"I need a warrant to get into Johnson's place." He said and Jenny nodded.

"Okay, go get one from a judge." She said immediately granting him permission. He was surprised. Usually Jenny wanted more information before she let him get a warrant.

"That's it no questions?" He asked confused. She stopped and turned to him.

"Jethro two of our agents are missing. If you think you can get them back from that house then by all means go!" She exclaimed encouraging him to get out of her face. He looked at her closely. Gibbs knew Jenny was hiding something from him.

"Are you okay?" He asked seriously. She furrowed her brow momentarily.

"Yes why wouldn't I be okay?" He just shook his head then studied her more. "Jethro what are you doing?" She asked getting uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"Yes Gibbs I'm fine. Go get Johnson." She said pushing him away playfully. He left her side without another word and took McGee with him. Sighing she went back up to her office without getting coffee or going to the bathroom.

Gibbs and McGee successfully got a warrant and drove to Johnson's house. When they knocked and got no answer they burst in the door, guns drawn. They found nothing upstairs but then they got to the basement. They counted to three silently and opened the door aiming their guns at whatever was down there. There was nothing. Curious, they walked downstairs to find a concrete basement with wood walls. Gibbs was suspicious. This was too easy; there couldn't just be _nothing_ here. His gut was acting up and Gibbs circled the walls looking for a seam. McGee caught on and did the same to the other walls. "McGee." Gibbs whispered and he turned. Gibbs motioned him to come and he did. They stood at the west side of the basement standing around a single piece of wood on the wall. Gibbs slid his fingers down the side of it and sure enough found a latch. The door swung open to reveal a set of stairs going further down. McGee and Gibbs looked at each other and Gibbs went down first. There was another door at the bottom of the stairs and a hallway that led off to the left. The both decided to go into the first room first. At the count of three they burst in and were shocked at what they saw. Tony and Ziva were shackled to the ground and Johnson was standing over Ziva with a bloody knife and a lemon. "Federal agents put your hands up!" McGee exclaimed as their guns were drawn at the man. He just laughed and turned around slowly.

"I'm impressed you found me so quickly." He said like he had something else up his sleeve.

"Put the knife down Johnson." Gibbs warned. Johnson pretended to be afraid.

"I'm not scared of you Gibbs. You know McGee looks a little scared of me though. I might have to teach him a lesson." He said and was about to chuck the knife at McGee when Ziva knocked him off balance and the knife flew into McGee's foot. McGee yelped out in pain as Johnson laughed and Gibbs arrested him. McGee called for an ambulance seeing Tony and Ziva barely conscious. As quickly as possible Tim yanked the knife out of his foot and tossed it to the ground in a grimace of pain. Then he walked over to Ziva.

"Tony, are you okay?" McGee asked from across the room as he was tending to Ziva.

"I'm okay probie. Work on Ziva I'll be fine." He choked out. McGee managed to pick the lock to the shackles then went and did Tony's. Gibbs came back downstairs with EMT's who looked after Tony and Ziva and helped them upstairs. Gibbs clapped McGee on the back.

"They should look at your foot McGee." He said and Tim nodded.

"Yeah I know boss but Tony and Ziva need more help." He said but Gibbs looked down at McGee's foot and proved otherwise by the trail of bloody footprints he was leaving. "Okay maybe you're right." He said and walked up the stairs and outside to where the other EMT's were.

The doctor's insisted Tony and Ziva go to the hospital to get their wounds checked out for infections and see if any of them needed stiches. They protested violently but eventually went along with McGee who needed stiches in his foot. Gibbs followed them to the hospital. Just ten minutes after he got there Abby came running in. "Oh my gosh Gibbs I heard everybody went to the hospital! Are they okay? How are Tony and Ziva? And what happened to Tim he wasn't even captured?!" She exclaimed frantically. Gibbs grabbed onto her arms steadying her constant movement.

"Abby calm down everyone's okay. DiNozzo and David got some cuts that the doctors are stitching up now and McGee's getting stitches in his foot."

"What happened?!" She exclaimed wondering how Tim managed to get hurt in all of this.

"Johnson threw a knife at him." Gibbs said calmly.

Tony, Ziva and Tim were all getting stitched and bandaged up in the same room. "Thanks for saving my life Ziva." Tim said looking at her. Ziva smiled.

"You would have done the same for me." She said and Tim nodded. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as their wounds were being cleaned, though an occasional hiss of pain could be heard. Once the doctors were done they all got up covered with gauze on their wounds and walked out of the room to find Abby waiting for them. She grabbed them all in a group hug.

"I was so scared guys! Never do that to me ever again!" She exclaimed angrily and punched Tony in the arm.

"Ow!" He yelled rubbing the sore spot. "Why do you always hit me? Hit McGee!" Tony exclaimed. Ziva laughed and punched his other arm.

"You are just the easiest to hit Tony." She said and McGee laughed. They all walked up to Gibbs who was waiting then drove back to NCIS. As they walked out of the elevator they got a few stares from other co-workers and found Jenny and Ducky talked in hushed voices in the bull pen. Tony coughed and Jenny and Ducky's heads shot up. They saw the wounds.

"Is everyone okay?" Jenny asked them. They all looked at each other and nodded. "And Johnson?"

"Prison." Tony said and Jenny nodded.

"Good job." She said to the team not really making eye contact with Gibbs. He was still giving her the creeps when he kept staring at her. "Ziva, can I talk to you in my office?" Jenny asked and Ziva nodded and they walked together up the stairs. Gibbs walked over to Ducky and said quietly.

"She hasn't told me yet Duck." Ducky sighed.

"Jethro this is a very sensitive subject for Jennifer. Be patient." He said and the two split up. Tony listened to the interaction with interest. _What could be bothering the Director? _Since the MCRT had been gone all day for the case they hadn't heard the rumors of a kid with the Director.

"Director what is this about?" Ziva asked slightly concerned as they walked to her office door.

"It's Jenny Ziva. I'm talking to you as a friend… and partner." She said referring to Cairo. Ziva narrowed her eyes, confused. "She's here." Jenny whispered smiling and Ziva understood, her eyes widened.

"Since when? Why did I not know? Does anybody else know?" She asked rapidly. Jenny put a hand on her shoulder and shushed her.

"We'll talk about it later Ziva. I don't think she'll remember you but I thought you'd want to see her." Jenny said quietly looking into Ziva's eyes. Ziva's mouth was practically hanging open.

"She must be six now." Ziva said disbelieving her own words. Jenny bit back a laugh, smiled and nodded then opened the door for Ziva who walked in in a sort of trance. Jenny shut the door behind her and Lauren looked up. She was drawing and humming the itsy bitsy spider to herself. Lauren saw the new woman and was confused.

"Hi mommy." Lauren said still looking at the foreign woman.

"Hi sweetheart. Do you remember Ziva?" Jenny asked motioning to the brown haired, olive skinned woman beside Jenny. Lauren squinted her eyes at Ziva which made her nose wrinkle and Ziva chuckled.

"You probably do not. You were just a little toddler when I saw you last time." Ziva said walking over to Lauren, Jenny following. Lauren wracked her brain for a memory of Ziva. She looked familiar to Lauren.

"I've seen you before." Lauren said finally.

"That is right." Ziva said kneeling down next to Lauren. She backed away hesitantly and looked up at Jenny for guidance.

"Don't worry Lauren, Ziva won't hurt you. She helped me with you when you were really little." Jenny said and Lauren relaxed and a smile reappeared on her face.

"I'm going to draw you!" She explained happily and started drawing a circle. Ziva smiled warmly, stroked Lauren's back then stood up and faced Jenny.

"She is so big now!" Ziva exclaimed walking off to the side with Jenny.

"I know. It's amazing how much she's grown even since the last time I saw her." Jenny said looking at Lauren one last time before focusing on Ziva who just seemed transfixed with Lauren. "Are you really okay?" Jenny asked Ziva seeing the gauze littered over her.

"I am fine. What about you? What is the situation with you and Lauren?" Ziva asked turning her full attention to Jenny.

"I'm going to see if I can keep her this time. Nobody is benefiting from Lauren being away so much." She said and Ziva nodded.

"What about the team? When are you going to tell them?" Ziva asked.

"Well there are already rumors going around about me bringing a kid to work. Ducky knows and Abby has her suspicions but as far as I know only you know from the MCRT." She said.

"That does not answer my question." Ziva stated still staring at Jenny.

"Soon, just not now." Jenny assured her friend. Ziva nodded hesitantly.

"I trust you Jenny." Ziva said and Jenny sighed.

"I know I know." She said tiredly. A comfortable silence settled in the room as they watched Lauren draw and hum.

"She really is beautiful just like her mother." Ziva said breaking the silence. Jenny looked at her and smiled.

"Thank you Ziva." Jenny said quietly.

"Well I should be getting back to type up my report." Ziva stated making her exit. But just as she was about to leave Lauren jumped up and ran to her.

"Wait, wait I have your drawing." She said handing the picture to Ziva. Ziva smiled and looked at the picture of a brown haired woman.

"Toda." Ziva said in Hebrew ruffling Lauren's hair then leaving the office. Lauren looked at Jenny with a confused look.

"Toda means thank you in Hebrew." Jenny explained.

"Ooohhh!" Lauren explained happily. "Toda." She exclaimed then bounded back to her drawing. Jenny laughed and sat down at her desk. Ziva walked down the stairs with a smile on her face and she didn't care who saw. Folding the picture she put it in her pocket. The bull pen looked at her curiously.

"What did the Director want?" Tony asked as she sat back down. Ziva snapped out of her daze and looked around. They were all staring at her. Embarrassed she fired up her computer.

"Nothing important." She said and started typing her report.


	7. Chapter 7

**I know it's not a very action packed chapter but it gets everything settled and explains some things and also poses a few new questions. Enjoy. **

Gibbs got up to go see the Director but Ziva stopped her. "I would not do that. The Director wants to be left alone." She said and reluctantly Gibbs sat back down confused. What was the Director keeping from him?

"Do you know what she's hiding?" Gibbs asked the team not directing his question at anyone in particular. The team looked at each other seeing if anyone had anything to confess. No one looked suspicious and they all looked as innocent as Gibbs. Gibbs eyed them and nodded seeing none of them looked like they knew anything. By the end of the day everybody had finished their reports. It was 2200 by the time most had left the office. But there were still the few who remained. Those being Gibbs and Jenny and somebody else who was fast asleep on Jenny's couch with her bear tucked under her arm protectively and her thumb in her mouth. Jenny was tired too. She set down her pen and took off her glasses she was using to read a case report. Running her hands down her face she sighed then propped her head on her hand watching her daughter sleep. Sleep was a beautiful thing. It erased the lines, the hurt and the bad things. People looked so innocent when they slept. That thought took her to Gibbs. She thought about when she would have sleepless nights in Paris. Jenny would roll over and watch Gibbs sleep. His face would relax and he would look at ease like nothing in the world could bother him at that moment. She loved watching him sleep. She would smile and sigh watching how peaceful he looked. Gibbs has always been a heavy sleeper so she would move his hair out of his face or run her fingers through it and watch him take a deep breath, a ghost of a smile would appear on his face and he would shift lower into the blankets then relax back into the deep world of sleep. Some nights she would cup a side of his face in her hand and stroke his cheek lightly when she had a rather bad day and needed some comfort. Of course she could always get comfort from him when he was awake but her pride had prevented her from showing the strain most days. Jenny was pulled out of her day dream when she heard Lauren moan. Furrowing her brow she looked at Lauren again and watched her to make sure she had heard right. Lauren's small face was scrunched up and her thumb fell from her mouth as she started to struggle in her sleep. Jenny realized she was having a nightmare and got up and walked over to her as quietly as she could with her heels. She knelt down next to the couch where she lay and stroked Lauren's side and shushed her. Lauren kept thrashing and her soft moans became loud cries. Jenny was worried now and started gently shaking her. "Lauren honey, wake up." She whispered and Lauren seemed to settle but her face was still scrunched up. Jenny relaxed a little and took her hand off of Lauren and watched as slowly but surely her face relaxed and she woke up. Blinking Lauren looked up at Jenny with a confused look. Then she threw her arms around Jenny and hugged her tight. Surprised Jenny hugged back and rubbed Lauren's back protectively. When Lauren didn't let go after a while Jenny gently pried herself free and looked at Lauren whose eyes were rimmed red with tears. "Did you have a bad dream sweetheart?" Jenny asked rubbing the girl's arms softly. Lauren pouted her lip and nodded. Jenny pulled her back into a hug. "Well it was just a dream, nothing to worry about." Jenny reassured and Lauren pulled away and sat back down on the couch rubbing her eyes with her fists.

"I'm tired." She said yawning. Jenny smiled weakly.

"Yeah I know me too Lauren. I just have one more thing to finish up and then we can go." She said and Lauren nodded then fell right back asleep. Jenny sighed, kissed Lauren's head then sat back down at her desk looking at her daughter one more time before starting on her second report.

Gibbs was down in the bull pen thinking. Why would Jenny be keeping something from him? He didn't know but he wanted to find out. Then again Ducky's words kept echoing in his head: _"I think that is something she should tell you. In her own time." _He knew better than to go against Ducky's advice. He would respect Jenny's space. But he couldn't help but wonder why she had told Ducky and not him. Then again Ducky was the one you'd come to with problems and he would offer very good solutions. Does Jenny have a problem? He wondered but shook the thought from his head and in one swift motion stood up and turned off his desk light leaving him engulfed in darkness. He knew that if it came down to it Jenny would trust him with almost anything. Looking upstairs at the light coming out from underneath the Director's door he grabbed his coat and hopped in the elevator.

Jenny had finally finished her last report and smiled leaning back in her chair feeling successful. She looked at her daughter sleeping peacefully with her thumb back in her mouth and one arm draped over the couch and just touching the floor. Lauren's bear was somewhere buried underneath her but she looked comfortable. But Jenny realized she wasn't successful. It was 2245 and she was at work, with her six year old daughter. Sighing she got up and grabbed her things getting ready to leave. Making sure not to wake the little angel on the couch she packed up Lauren's backpack including the bear from underneath Lauren. _She must really be zonked out to sleep this deep._ She thought smiling. Even with her bad parenting her daughter could always make her smile no matter what she was doing. Jenny really didn't want to wake Lauren up but she couldn't lift her up in that position. So she flung her purse and purple backpack over her shoulder and shook Lauren awake gently. Eventually she stirred and stood up on the couch holding her arms out in a silent question asking to be carried. Jenny picked the sleep laden Lauren up and started walking. Lauren's legs were around Jenny's waist, her arms were draped casually over her shoulders and her head was resting sleepily on Jenny's shoulder. As the elevator opened Jenny was almost positive she was asleep again. Right now though she was a little concerned wondering if Gibbs was still there. But his car wasn't so she relaxed and opened the back door to her car and setting Lauren down gently in the car seat. Back at Jenny's house she carried Lauren out of the car and into the house. Slipping off her heels she walked up the stairs with Lauren still in her arms. It was tough but she did it then walking into Laurens rooms she laid her down on the bed. Groggily she woke up and looked around surprised at realizing they were at home. Jenny had her back turned to Lauren getting out some pajamas out of her suitcase, not having time to unpack yet. "Mommy, how did we get home?" She asked groggily and Jenny turned laughing softly. Lauren smiled too liking it when her mom laughed. It lit up her whole face when she did.

"Magic." She said quietly and walked over to her and started taking off her shoes. Lauren shooed her hands away.

"I can do it." She protested and Jenny backed away.

"Okay well get your pajama's on and I'll be back in a few minutes." She said and Lauren nodded. Jenny went to her room and changed into her pajama's which consisted of PJ shorts and an oversize grey tee shirt thinking of all the things she needed to do yet. First off she needed to unpack all of Lauren's things and take her shopping for more clothes and decorations for her room. It would make Lauren feel less like a guest and more like a permanent resident because hopefully that's what she'll be by the end of the summer. And also she remembered how Lauren was sucking her thumb. She really needed to break that habit. Jenny _really_ did _not_ want to pay for braces. Then there was the dilemma of telling the team. That she could get to later. Right now she needed to get her daughter to bed and find a baby sitter for tomorrow. Jenny wasn't going to take Lauren to work anymore. It was stressful enough with the kidnapping but keeping Lauren away from the team would be impossible. Who could possibly be trusted to keep her daughter a secret and be trusted with her daughter for that matter? Jenny definitely didn't want some teenager. Then she knew who she could have babysit, Naomi! Jenny trusted her with everything she owned and she was a kind person. It was perfect. Naomi was coming over tomorrow anyway. She would have to call in advance though, she thought and was about to go to the phone when she remembered her daughter getting changed in the other room. She walked to her first and saw that she was fast asleep with her clothes surrounding her and her PJ's on. Jenny smiled, moved the clothes and tucked her daughter in with a light kiss to the forehead. Turning off the lights she closed the door and walked to her room grabbing the phone. She dialed Naomi's number and hoped she would answer. It was late and she already felt bad about calling at such a horrific hour. But to Jenny's delight she answered albeit tiredly. "Hello?"

"Naomi I'm so glad you answered! I need to ask a favor." She said hesitantly, twirling a piece of her hair.

"Senora do you know what time it is?" Naomi asked groggily.

"Yes and I'm so sorry to call you this late but I was wondering or really hoping you could babysit for me tomorrow?" She asked squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation.

"For whom? You don't have children." Naomi stated.

"Actually I do, one, her name is Lauren. I know I kept it from you but I wanted to keep it a secret. It's a long story and maybe I'll explain it to you one day but right now I need you to do me a huge favor. I'll pay you if you'd like?" Jenny asked hoping Naomi would say yes. She heard nothing on the phone for a minute and furrowed her brow. "Naomi?" She asked hesitantly.

"Okay. I trust you senora so I will do this but you owe me an explanation." She said sternly and Jenny smiled.

"Thank you Naomi thank you so much! Okay just be here an hour early and I'll add that hour to your pay along with the hours you weren't supposed to be here." She said and heard Naomi grumble something under her breath. Jenny just smiled. "Don't worry you'll love her." Jenny assured.

"If she's anything like you I'm not sure. Swindling people out of their free time." She grumbled and Jenny knew she was kidding. The two had known each other for years and had formed a friendly bond.

"Good night Naomi." Jenny said sarcastically.

"Good night Jenny." Naomi said it back the exact same way. Jenny chuckled and turned out her light.

The next morning Jenny got up quietly making sure not to wake Lauren who needed the sleep, poor kid. Six year olds need ten to twelve hours of sleep. So far she had had seven; it was 2300 when she fell asleep in her bed. She got ready quietly and ate her breakfast in silence checking the time and seeing that Naomi would be here any minute she got up and cleaned her bowl of cereal up. Then she walked to the mirror and applied her makeup: a coat of mascara, eye shadow, eye liner and her signature bright red lipstick. She wore a blue formal dress that went to her knees with shoulder straps and black heels. Just as she was gathering her purse Naomi walked through the door. "Oh good you're here. Now Lauren shouldn't give you any trouble but if she does you have my number. I don't know how she's react to you because this new place is giving her the creeps but she should warm up to you quickly. I should be home around seven if that's okay?"

"I have children Senora I know how to handle them." Naomi said jokingly and Jenny smiled.

"I know I know. I should be going. I'm going to say goodbye to Lauren. Let her sleep for a few hours she got to sleep last night at eleven." She said clacking up the stairs in her heels. She entered Lauren's room to find her hair wild and matted in some parts to her face. The covers were almost completely off of her and her bear was against the wall painfully. At least she wasn't sucking her thumb. Upon closer inspection she saw Lauren's face was flushed from sleep and her mouth was open slightly, she smelled like a little kid (if you know what that smells like?). She didn't want to wake her up but Lauren would freak out if she wasn't there when she woke up and some other woman was here. So she shook Lauren awake. Once Jenny knew she was focusing on her Jenny spoke. "Sweetie I have to leave for work but there's a woman downstairs her name is Naomi. She's very nice and will take good care of you today while I'm gone. I should be back after dinner. If you need me Naomi has my number. You call me any time of the day if something's wrong." She said and saw Lauren nod groggily. "Okay Lauren I love you." She said kissing her cheek and closing the door behind her.

At work that morning obviously the news had reached the MCRT that Jenny had a kid with her yesterday. Jenny could feel their eyes on her the second she stepped out of the elevator. They stopped talking in hushed voices when she walked up to them. "What are you whispering about?" She asked though she knew exactly what it was and they knew she knew. The team eyed each other then back at Jenny.

"Nothing Director." Tony said hesitantly and Ziva looked at her with a glance that said 'Go! This is your chance!'

"That's what I thought." She said and walked away seeing Gibbs enter the bull pen as she left. She decided not to look at Ziva who would be pissed that she didn't tell them. She knew Ziva didn't like keeping this secret in particular but she had kept it for years and a few more days couldn't hurt. Back in the bull pen the team had started talking again disregarding the secretly listening Gibbs. He had never been one to listen to rumors but everyone was talking about it. They saw a child with Jenny yesterday. Was this the secret she was keeping from them? He tried not to get worked up; _I mean it could just be a niece or nephew, right? _He thought.

"Why would the Director bring a kid to work?" Tony asked.

"More importantly why would she keep it a secret?" Ziva chimed in and Tony nodded then suddenly ah-ha-ed loudly holding up a finger and sitting up straight in his desk.

"She secretly has a boyfriend whose kid she had to take." He said.

"Tony this _is_ the _Director_ we're talking about right?" McGee asked raising an eyebrow. Ziva snorted.

"You don't think the Director is getting any McGee?" Tony asked narrowing his eyes at McGee. Gibbs was tempted to smack all three of them into next Wednesday for talking about Jenny like this but he was curious at where the conversation would lead.

"I never said that. I just don't think the Director is the type to deal with children." McGee said and Ziva was the one to speak up.

"Why do you think she cannot deal with children McGee?"

"Well I never heard her talk about family or even mention it." He stated and they had to admit he had a point.

"I can't really see her with kids." He said looking off into the distance. "Or with a guy who has kids now that I think about it." He said spacing out.

"McGee, quick record this moment." She said seriously. "Tony actually second guessed himself. What is next? The sound of music will probably be his favorite movie?" She asked smiling at him deviously.

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny!" He said sarcastically.

Later that day Jenny was in her office trying to rid her head of the rumors floating around and focus on her work. That became rather hard when her phone rang. Picking it up she heard Lauren. "Hi mommy!" Jenny furrowed her brow.

"Hi honey, are you okay? Why are you calling?" She asked remembering she only asked her to call if something was wrong.

"I got upset when I woke up because you weren't there and I yelled at Naomi. She said I had to shape up my attitude." Jenny chuckled. "I know you'll be home later but I miss you so Naomi said I could call you." She finished and Jenny took a deep breath.

"Okay sweetie well I promise I'll be home before you know it. I love you. Are you sure you're okay?" Jenny asked.

"I'm okay."

"Okay can I talk to Naomi then?" She asked softly and heard Lauren's feet running of her floor. _Her _floor not the floor in California. It made her happy thinking about that until Naomi came on the phone.

"Hello Senora."

"Naomi what happened?" Jenny asked knowing there was more to the story than Lauren was letting on. Naomi sighed.

"She got very upset after you didn't come home for a while and threw a tantrum. The only way I could get her to calm down was if I promised she could call you after her room was clean. Good news is that her room is clean." Naomi laughed the last sentence.

"What happened to her room?" Jenny asked tapping her pen on the desk.

"She destroyed it in her tantrum." She said and Jenny sighed running her fingers through her hair.

"Okay thank you for calling Naomi."

"I'll let Lauren say goodbye." Naomi said and handed off the phone to her.

"Bye mommy I'll see you later. I love you!" She exclaimed.

"Love you too baby. Promise you won't throw another tantrum?"

"I promise mommy!"

"Okay, bye sweetheart."

"Bye mommy!" And the phone went dead. Why was her daughter getting so upset when Jenny left? It was something she should probably ask Ducky about. Jenny sighed and placed the phone gently back on the hook just as Gibbs walked in.


	8. Chapter 8

"Jethro!" She exclaimed surprised at his sudden appearance. He didn't say anything just walked up to her desk silently. "What's wrong?" She asked hesitantly. He took a breath then spoke.

"Have you heard the rumors lately?" He asked tilting his head slightly at her. Jenny froze. He was here to question her. _Damn, I knew bringing Lauren in was a bad idea_. She thought angrily but her Director's mask was up and revealed no emotion. She didn't know how to respond to that so she opted to not saying anything. "Jen what's going on?" He asked when she didn't say anything. Didn't she tell him to wait for her to tell him, _willingly_? Jenny was suddenly angry.

"Gibbs there is nothing you need to worry about. I have everything… under control." She finished closing the file in front of her so she wouldn't have to meet Gibbs's eyes or he would see her eye twitch. Frankly she was worried about Lauren. Whenever Jenny would leave for a while she would freak out. And it made Jenny feel… well out of control. Because there was nothing she could do to stop or prevent her daughter's outbursts. All she could do was comfort her when they happened.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" He asked trying to find her gaze. She looked up at him with a blank expression.

"Yeah I know." She mumbled looking back down at her desk trying to straighten out her things to make herself seem busy. Gibbs was confused. He rarely saw Jenny like this: vulnerable and almost lost. Even though her mask was up Gibbs could tell what she was really feeling because it shown brightly in her eyes.

"Jen, who's the kid?" He asked boldly. Jenny shot her head up at him.

"Agent Gibbs if all you came in here to do was interrogate me I suggest you leave." She said forcefully and rather angrily. He nodded slowly and walked out. Obviously this was something she didn't want to be forced into. _I should have listened to Ducky._ He thought as he walked down the stairs solemnly.

Later that day Jenny was walking past the bull pen when Ziva came up to her and pulled her off to the side by the window. The team tried to listen in but they were talking in hushed voices so all they could do was watch their facial expressions. "Jenny, when are you going to tell them? They are going to find out sooner or later!" Ziva exclaimed quietly.

"I know but you and Tony are recovering from your injuries along with concussions and Lauren well she's having a hard time adjusting to life here in DC. It's just not the right time." Jenny said not really looking at Ziva.

"What is happening with Lauren?" Ziva asked forgetting about telling the team. This was as close to maternal instincts as Ziva got. She thought of her as almost a surrogate daughter because they had spent so much time together and of course Ziva helped take care of her and raise her when she was little.

"She freaks out when I'm gone and she threw a temper tantrum today. I don't know why but she hates it when I leave." She says quietly.

"Maybe she is just adjusting to the new environment?" Ziva suggested but Jenny shook her head looking thoughtful.

"No I don't think so." She said and Ziva could tell it was a motherly instinct that had just taken over. She had seen it many times before.

"Okay well tell me what happens and you need to tell them soon. Tony and I are fine. However, they are coming up with stories for the presence of Lauren. Tony said your boyfriend has kids and you have to take care of them." Ziva informed her and Jenny laughed quietly a smile taking over her face. Everybody was happy when Jenny smiled. Her smile seemed to light up a room as well as her contagious laugh but they rarely got to see it.

"That's highly unlikely. And I promise Ziva I'll tell them in a few days." She said and Ziva sighed but walked back to her desk and the day went on. Now Gibbs, McGee and DiNozzo were very suspicious. Ziva must know something. So once Jenny was gone they two younger agents sprang questions on her while Gibbs watched curiously.

"What was that?" Tony asked leaning over his desk.

"What was what?" Ziva asked genuinely confused.

"Why did you talk to the Director?" Tim asked clarifying.

"It has nothing to do with you so plop it." She said sternly to both of them.

"It's _drop it_ Ziva and I don't think we can when you seem to know something we don't." Tony said tilting his head at her. Ziva looked around; McGee and Gibbs were waiting for an answer too.

"You are all very nosy. If the Director wants to tell you she will." Ziva said accusingly.

"So you do know something." McGee said smiling. Ziva narrowed her eyes at McGee.

"It is not my place to tell you so like I said before, drop it." She said angrily and reluctantly they did. But they couldn't shake the thought that Ziva knew who the kid was and they didn't.

Later that night Jenny came home at seven just like she promised. She walked through the door and set her bags down. "I'm home!" She shouted and after a moment heard little feet running and soon saw the body that came with the feet right before she slammed into Jenny. Jenny hugged her back and then Lauren pulled away.

"Hi mommy! Naomi and I were playing the piano." She said as she pulled Jenny along. She laughed.

"Good! Hold on sweetie let me take my shoes off." She said stopping and stepping out of her heels making her a few inches shorter. Lauren pulled her upstairs to the room with the piano and saw Naomi sitting at the bench waiting for Lauren to come back. "Thank you so much Naomi." Jenny said as Naomi stood up.

"Not a problem Senora. She's a wonderful child." Naomi said and Jenny knew she meant in spite of the temper tantrum. "Am I coming back tomorrow?" Naomi asked.

"No you were just an emergency sitter. I got her signed up for daycare tomorrow." Jenny said and Naomi nodded.

"Okay Senora goodnight. And goodnight Senorita." Naomi said looking at Lauren who had set herself down on the piano bench. Lauren waved.

"Bye Naomi!" She said and Jenny walked Naomi to the door.

"I'm sorry about earlier today." Jenny said as Naomi grabbed her coat.

"Don't worry about it. Six year olds are very complicated." She said as she walked out the door. Jenny knew that to be true. At this age kids were learning more independence and testing their boundaries. Yet at the same time they weren't completely out of the stage of temper tantrums. They still didn't know exactly how to express their emotions. Jenny walked back upstairs ready to face her daughter. When she got up the stairs she heard Lauren on the piano before she saw her. It was mostly her fingers slamming down onto the keys randomly and Jenny smiled as she entered and watched her hands try and play each key individually but she got bored and had more fun slamming the keys down anyway. Jenny sat down next to her and gently took her hands off of the piano and Lauren looked at her.

"Lauren honey, why did you get so upset today?" She asked gently. Lauren looked down.

"Because I thought you weren't coming home." She said shyly and Jenny's heart practically broke.

"Sweetheart I told you I was coming home after dinner and I did didn't I?" She asked furrowing her brow and meeting Lauren's gaze.

"Yeah I know." She mumbled and Jenny sat up straighter and sighed.

The next morning Jenny had to get Lauren up with her. She groaned and fought and yelled but eventually she got up and wandered downstairs where Jenny was making a breakfast of eggs and toast. "I see you finally got up grumpy head." Jenny said flipping the eggs and referring to the scene earlier this morning about not wanting to get up. Lauren's hair looked like flames around her head since it was up in every direction and partly matted to her head. She had on a pink night gown with ruffles at the bottom. It was wrinkled. Her bear was tucked under her arm and her hand was rubbing her eye sleepily.

"I'm tired." She said slowly.

"I know but I have to get to work and drop you off at day care." She said quickly. Jenny almost considered taking Lauren to work after the tantrum yesterday but decided to give her one more chance to prove she can be without her mom.

"Day care?" Lauren asked sitting down at the table. Jenny took the toast to the table and poured Lauren a little orange juice.

"Yeah it'll be fun, you get to play with other kids all day and have fun. Then I'll pick you up later when work is over." She explained as Lauren yawned.

"Okay." She said and stretched in her chair. Jenny brought the eggs over and put some scrambled eggs on her plate then handed her a fork.

"Here you go. Eat up; I'm going to go dry my hair." Jenny said and kissed her head then left. Jenny already had her clothes on which were, straight legged dark grey dress pants with the small white stripes down the leg, a grey matching jacket and a green undershirt. She dried her hair in light curls and applied minimal make up. She didn't really have time to do the works. After her hair was dry, her black heels were on and her purse was with her she walked back downstairs to see Lauren finishing up her orange juice. "Why don't you take your plate to the sink and go get dressed." She told her and she erupted in smiles. Finally she got to do something independently.

"Okay." She said, grabbed her plate steadily and slowly walked with it over to the sink. She put in in the sink and bounded up the stairs to her room. Jenny cleaned the dishes while Lauren was getting dressed. Once she came bounding back down the stairs Jenny looked her up and down. She was wearing pink leggings that went to her knees and a short dress with pink and green polka dots with a heart on the chest and white sandals. The only problem was that the pants were backwards. Jenny chuckled and they switched the pants around.

"Why don't you let me comb your hair and then we can go okay?" Jenny asked and Lauren nodded. They sat down on the couch and Jenny gently brushed through her mangled locks. Her hair, once it was fully combed, went down to the middle of her chest. It was beautiful and thick for a little girl. Her hair had curls in it like Jenny's and once it was combed through looked like a frizzy mess. Lauren laughed looking at herself in the mirror.

"Mommy, look at me! I look like a marshmallow!" She exclaimed patting down her hair. Jenny smiled.

"Do you want me to braid it?" Lauren nodded and sat back down. Once her French braid was done Jenny got up and walked to the door with Lauren close behind. They got in the car and drove to the day care center. Once they were there Lauren took Jenny's hand and they walked in together. The receptionist looked peppy and her face broke into a wider grin when she saw the two red heads come in if that was even possible.

"Hello! How can I help you? My name is Taylor!" She exclaimed looking from Jenny to the shy Lauren at her side.

"Hi, I'm Jenny Shepard. I enrolled my daughter here yesterday." She said setting her purse on the high desk. Taylor looked through her computer.

"Ah yes I see you did. You enrolled a Lauren Shepard?" She asked pounding something in the computer.

"Yes this is her." She said motioning to Lauren who just snuggled into Jenny's side shyly. Taylor laughed loudly and obnoxiously. It took all of Jenny's will power not to smack that mechanical smile off her face.

"Okay well you're right on time. Everybody is just arriving." She said and got up motioning for them to follow her. They did down a hallway and to a room. She opened the door for them to see parents standing around talking and little kids between the ages of four and seven running around playing. Jenny could see Lauren's eyes widen in happiness and her mouth form a happy smile. Lauren tugged on Jenny's sleeve and she looked down.

"Mommy can I go play?" She asked quietly and Jenny nodded. She ran off and sat with a group of young girls coloring on a table. Jenny smiled and turned back to the receptionist.

"So do I have to sign anything or can I leave?" Jenny asked un-amused with Taylor's over excitement.

"Yes you have to sign a form but first there will be a short parent meeting." She said and shut the door behind Jenny before she could protest and the receptionist was gone. Sighing, she hesitantly walked up to the other parents. She really did not want to interact with tired old women with no place better to be than at their child's day care meeting or getting a manicure. As she walked up to the group she didn't want to be around them even more. One was obnoxiously chewing gum and filing her nails, a few were huddled in a tight group gossiping in hushed whispers, a few were making polite conversation and they looked like they would rather be anywhere but here. Then there were the few who looked like they'd rather be with their husband's doing things they could only do while the kids were away. One woman had tattoo's lining up and down her arms and legs and looked like she was fighting some kind of withdrawal symptoms. All in all they looked like they had done this a thousand times before and were just there for the sake of their children. A woman with a blonde pixie cut walked up to her followed by a few brunettes and one other blonde woman. They introduced themselves and Jenny smiled politely at them. "You new?" The pixie cut blonde whose name was Tracy asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Jenny asked raising her eyebrows. Tracy laughed dryly obviously not amused by her attempt at humor.

"Don't worry about it. Every mom is nervous on her first day. So which one is yours?" She asked scanning the crowd of short heads.

"The red head at the table drawing, her names Lauren." Jenny said pointing her out to the group. Tracy laughed.

"Should have figured." She said eyeing Jenny up and down. What was that supposed to mean? Jenny took it as an insult and gritted her teeth to try and stop the snappy come back on the tip of her tongue.

"Which is yours?" Jenny asked back politely deciding to ignore the rude comment. Tracy pointed her platinum blonde out of the group with long wispy hair and blue eyes with a huge smile plastered on her face as she played dress up with two other girls, except she seemed to be directing the flow of clothing. "Should have figured." Jenny said back nodding.

"Her name's Apple." She said smiling. _Oh God what an awful name._ She thought and smiled back at Tracy. Jenny didn't like Tracy. "You know I never did catch your name?" Tracy asked snootily.

"Jenny Shepard." She said and Tracy nodded looking her up and down. Jenny had a feeling Tracy didn't like her either.

"Bye Jennifer. It was nice meeting you." Tracy said lying through her teeth. Once Tracy had turned and left Jenny rolled her eyes and muttered some curse words under her breath. But one brunette stayed behind and smiled warmly at her.

"Sorry about Tracy. She's a bit much. I don't like her much myself." The brunette said. She was dressed for work like Jenny and obviously needed to get there just like Jenny.

"Yeah I don't like her either." Jenny said before she even realized what she was saying. The brunette laughed and held out her hand. Jenny felt her face get warm with embarrassment that she had just let that slip but took the hand anyway.

"Claire Foley." She said and they shook.

"I assume you caught my name." Jenny said smiling and Claire laughed, nodding. She was getting to like this Claire.

"My son William seems to be taking quite well to your daughter." Claire commented and Jenny turned to see a dark haired boy sitting with her daughter and drawing a picture together. Before they could say anymore a dishwater blonde stepped in front of the group and clapped her hands.

"Kids find your parents the meeting will start now. My name is Carol and I will be watching after your children at daycare along with some of my colleagues." She said and the parents all found a seat while the kids found their parents and sat down next to them. Lauren found Jenny and they sat together as the meeting started.

Meanwhile at NCIS the SecNav was getting angry at her missing meetings and not showing up for work without an explanation. He was furiously pacing Jenny's office. They had to talk about the group of terrorists threatening to blow up navy bases. But the NCIS Director was nowhere to be found.


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning: There's some intoxication and implied drug use in this chapter.**

Jenny was absolutely and utterly bored as the woman talked about what would happen at the day care. Frankly she could care less about their eating schedules and play time routines. But she sat through the whole thing anyway. So halfway through the speech she was almost glad her phone rang. The other parents stared at her and she could feel her face heating up but was thankful to be excused anyway. Jenny could feel Tracy's eyes boring into her skull angrily but she ignored it as she got up and answered. "Shepard." She said as she walked out of the room. Jenny wondered what Tracy did for a living and guiltily wondered if it even came close to the authority she had. It would be satisfying to see the look on Tracy's face when she said she was the Director of an armed federal agency. Then again Tracy would probably throw some nasty comment in her face about what a bad mother she must be. Jenny realized how horrible that thought was. She was better than this. For goodness sake she's only known Tracy for five minutes. She was turning into one of those judgmental, snooty parents. The voice of the SecNav snapped her out of her thoughts as she closed the daycare door behind her.

"Director where are you? We had a meeting this morning to discuss the terrorist threat!" He exclaimed and Jenny mentally cursed herself. How could she forget about that?

"I'm sorry Mr. Secretary I got caught up." She said running a hand down her face and ignoring the stare from Taylor the receptionist.

"With what? What could have possibly gotten you tied up so much to miss this meeting of national security?" He exclaimed clearly about to blow a gasket. Jenny needed to tell him now. It was inevitable she knew but now that she was facing the reality in front of her she didn't want to go through with it. But she had too. She cleared her throat and spoke hesitantly.

"Do you remember last summer when I was missing meetings?" She asked rubbing the back of her neck.

"Yes I do remember. You were sorting things out with a lawyer and punched him in the jaw." He said biting back laughter. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes then slowly opened them again. She remembered it like it was yesterday. Her and the lawyer the DA's office had assigned for her daughters case were talking about her capabilities as a parent. The lawyer whose name she couldn't recall said something that made her snap though. She had already gone through a string of horrible lawyers and this was the sixth that they hadn't come to a conclusion with yet. Jenny had ended it before they could though by effectively breaking his jaw and dislocating two of her own fingers.

"_Miss Shepard we need to make a decision here. Frankly I believe that you would not make a suitable parent therefore we will have to discuss visiting times for Laura." He said not masking the exhaustion in his tone and demeanor. _

"_It's Lauren. My daughter's name is Lauren." Jenny corrected bitterly. He rolled his eyes. _

"_Whatever lady. As I was saying we need to sort some things out. I was thinking she could come visit you in the summer for two weeks." He said and Jenny finally noticed his blood shot eyes and the way his hands lay droopily at his sides. He wasn't exhausted from a long night of working, he was exhausted because he was out getting hammered and stoned. He had no regard for her child or her case. Jenny clenched her jaw painfully. _

"_Excuse me but do you even care about my daughter?" She asked bluntly and he was taken by surprise though his droopy eyes and blank expression didn't show much emotion. _

"_Well it is my job to…" _

"_Do you know that it is highly unprofessional to come into work with a hangover and it is also highly unprofessional to come into work stoned?" She exclaimed angrily yet calmly interrupting him._

"_Ma'am I don't know what you're talking about. You and your daughter Emily are my highest priority right now." He said tiredly and she noted the smell of marijuana on his clothes and alcohol on his breath. That was the final straw for Jenny. She clenched her fist, stood up and in one swift motion her fist connected with his jaw with a satisfying crack. _

"_It's LAUREN!" She yelled before two guards came rushing in a restrained her while blood was flowing freely from the lawyer's mouth all over his precious documents. _

"It was fun when I had to come and get you." He said sarcastically. "The SECRETARY OF THE NAVY had to come and get the DIRECTOR OF NCIS out of a holding cell in the basement of a law firm! That little stunt could have ended your career and still to this day you never told me why you punched him. You are just lucky he chose not to press charges!" SecNav explained harshly and she could tell if she was there he'd be pointing a stubby finger at her accusingly. But she deserved every word and she knew it.

"That's because he was too stoned to even think straight! Those pain meds they gave him were probably just added to his euphoria! I bet he would have let me break his nose if it meant getting his hands on more of that morphine!" She exclaimed but then silenced herself knowing she had stepped out of line. Surprisingly though he just laughed heartily.

"Shepard let's get down to the point of this conversation." He laughed and Jenny sighed.

"Yes sir. Well I was seeing the lawyer so I could have custody of my daughter." She said and waited for the bombarding questions.

"How come I didn't know you had a daughter before?" He asked suspiciously.

"I was trying to keep her a secret, for security purposes and also because I didn't want people to know unless I was able to keep her for sure."

"So what does this have to do with you being late for work today?" He asked.

"I'm dropping her off a daycare. And God can those women talk and talk." She said exasperated. He laughed.

"I have children of my own Director I know how it is."

"She's staying for the summer and I had to get her here. It's the first day and I figured you wouldn't approve of her at work all the time." She said.

"That's good thinking but you should have warned me. I want you back in the office before 0900." He said sternly and was about to hang up when she stopped him.

"Hold on sir. Can we keep her under wraps for now? I mean until I can officially keep her I don't want people knowing." She said hesitantly.

"Of course Director." He said and hung up. She sighed and slumped against a wall. Explaining her unknown child to people was easier than she thought but it was still draining. With a deep breath she walked back into the room where unsurprisingly the meeting was still taking place. After finding her seat again she started to listen to the woman talking up front.

"Daycare ends at six pm and all parents should be here at the lasted at that time. You can take your child out and bring them back later if you wish though you will need to sign some forms." She said and the meeting ended. Thanking God silently she stood up with her daughter by her side. She realized the other parents were saying goodbye to their children so she knelt down and did the same.

"Okay Lauren. I have to go to work now but I'll be back later to get you." She said looking into her scared eyes.

"Promise?" Lauren asked seriously.

"Promise." Jenny said and hugged Lauren goodbye. "Bye sweetheart I love you." She said standing up.

"Bye mommy I love you too." She said and left to go play with her friends seemingly happy. Jenny felt a little better leaving her knowing that Lauren was comfortable here. A few moments later all the parents were leaving and Claire came up to her and ushered her out.

"I know it's hard the first time but it gets easier. These people are very trustworthy." She said and Jenny nodded willing herself to believe that.

Jenny arrived at work at 0840 that morning and rushed up to her office disregarding the stares from the team. No child with her today. She barged into her office. "Director the Secretary of the Navy is waiting for you." She said and Jenny just nodded in response before entering. He turned to look at her, a glass of scotch in his hand.

"Hello Director. You have a fine liquor supply in here." He said chuckling. They talked about the terrorist threat for an hour before he announced he had to leave for a meeting. By that time it was 0950 and time for a coffee break. She went downstairs and past the bull pen where Gibbs saw her and announced he was going for coffee. They walked into the elevator together and rode it down to the lobby where they walked off and went to their favorite coffee shop down the road. For once in what was too long they shared a nice conversation but Jenny couldn't shake the feeling that he was just doing this to get something out of her. Something which had a name and that was Lauren. Ever since he had heard the rumors of her he had been grilling her on it but she wasn't about to spill her guts today. Thankfully he didn't ask about her and they just had a nice friendly conversation. It was nice and both Jenny and Gibbs relished every moment of it.

The day went by rather smoothly but through midday she had a growing feeling in the pit of her stomach that wasn't good. She didn't know exactly what to call it, motherly intuition maybe but she tried to put it off. Tried to put in the far recesses of her mind because she knew her daughter was fine. Perfectly and absolutely fine.

She was sitting at her desk doing nothing in particular. It was exactly 1522 when she got the call. She answered it expecting some politician to invite her to another party on the hill. "Shepard." She answered curtly as the Director but reacted like the mother.

"Miss Shepard, it's your daughter." The peppy secretary she recognized at Taylor said with a worried tone. Jenny seriously thought her heart stopped beating in her chest when she heard that sentence.


	10. Chapter 10

Her chest tightened and tears sprang painfully to her eyes. "What?" She croaked out hoarsely.

"It's your daughter Ma'am." Taylor repeated and Jenny sighed and put her head in her hand trying to calm her nerves.

"I got that! What happened?!" She exclaimed lifting her head angrily and forming her hand into a claw. Jenny thought Taylor sounded rather scared as she got up from her desk and grabbed her purse then started walking out of the office through Cynthia's protests.

"Well she locked herself in a closet." The young woman said sheepishly.

"She what?! Is she okay?! How long has she been in there?!" She practically yelled walking or more like running down the stairs, getting the attention of almost everyone in the squad room including the MCRT.

"Twenty minutes. She went to the bathroom and we didn't notice she was gone until a few minutes ago. She's calling for you but she won't tell us why. We didn't know what to do so I called you." She said frantically. Jenny jogged across the bull pen reaching the elevator and slammed her hand on the button trying to calm down.

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Until then can you try and get her out of the closet?" She asked desperately and noted how other people would hear that and take it the wrong way. She noted how particularly _Tony_ would take it the wrong way but ignored his crude comments. Her baby was… she didn't even know how to describe it but she was having some sort of melt down. And Jenny would be there to help her through it. She hung up without waiting for a reply and the elevator doors closed around her letting the team get one last fleeting glace of their panic stricken Director. Tony snickered.

"Try to get her out of the closet." He repeated funnily. The team had disgusted looks on their faces, directed at Tony. Gibbs said nothing just got out of his seat, walked over to Tony and gave him the mother of all headslaps. He winced in a shrill voice. "Sorry boss I didn't mean anything by it." He said looking down.

"Did you not see the look the Director had on her face? How dare you make fun of her?" Ziva exclaimed angrily.

"She sounded pretty upset." McGee chimed in.

"Worried." Ziva supplied.

"Frantic." Tony added quietly.

Meanwhile Jenny was driving like a maniac to the daycare center where she had dropped her child off at that morning. The only thoughts going through her head were: _What is happening with my child _and _why didn't they notice she was gone? _She was a mix of emotions between anger at the staff, fear for her daughter and confusion as to why she would act this way. Her car was parked in the parking lot seven minutes later. Usually it would have been a fifteen minute drive from NCIS to daycare. But she wasn't in the mood to have a leisurely drive. She stormed into the cozy looking one story building with a playground in the back. Her heels clicking furiously on the ground and she had forgotten about her purse and phone in her car. The receptionist was waiting for her and led her to the room she had first entered that morning, it was empty now, then to a closet in the corner where the head woman, Carol, she recalled her name was talking through the door to a screaming six year old. As she approached she also head Lauren's muffled sobs through the door. It was a little scary to see her daughter like this. Lauren had never _ever_ acted out like this. She was always the good child that would do as she was told. Now she was bordering on hysteria. Carol turned upon hearing Jenny's heels clicking and walked up to her with a relieved look on her face. "Thank goodness Miss Shepard. She keeps screaming for you. I don't know what to do she won't calm down." Carol said and Jenny could feel her mask and practiced control slipping away. She was disheartened to hear her voice shake as she spoke.

"I'll handle it." She said weakly and walked up to the door where the screams were emanating. Jenny knelt down next to the door and knocked on it lightly. The screaming stopped for a moment though she could still hear Lauren's heart wrenching sobs through the door.

"Go away!" She screamed through sobs. Jenny choked on her words.

"Lauren honey its mommy." She said softly yet loud enough for her to hear. The screams ceased though the crying continued.

"Mommy?" Lauren asked her breath catching. Jenny was reduced to tears then, silent ones of course. She had to be strong for Lauren but still tears none the less.

"Yeah sweetheart it's me. Why don't you come out and talk to me?" Jenny suggested her breath catching slightly too. This was highly unusual for Jenny. Crying again? What had gotten into her? Her daughter must be bringing out her soft side.

"I can't open the door." She admitted shamefully and Jenny was horrified. Lauren was really locked in a closet. She turned to the two employees standing by close behind. She must look horrible with makeup running down her face and her nose red.

"Where's the key?" She asked as calmly as she could.

"We don't know. It was missing when we tried to get her out earlier." Carol said quietly and Jenny turned back to her daughter.

"Darling do you have the key?" She asked softly hoping to God the answer was yes.

"Yeah." Jenny sighed a breath of relief.

"Can you slide it under the door so I can get you out of there?" No response just the noise of a small metal key sliding under the door with a small hand. But it quickly retreated. "Thank you Lauren. I'm going to open the door now." She said and stood up unlocking the door, it swung open and Lauren sat on the floor with tears and snot streaming down her face. Her face was red and blotchy and she looked exhausted. Jenny collapsed on the floor in a wave of happiness and engulfed her daughter in a hug. Lauren hugged back and cried in Jenny's shoulder. Jenny cried too cupping Lauren's messy hair in her hand and holding her head firmly close. As if, if she didn't then she would lose her. Jenny was kneeling but when she engulfed her daughter she sat back on her heels and Lauren sat herself down on Jenny's lap. They hugged and neither wanted to let go ever. Jenny could feel Lauren's tears penetrate her expensive suit and onto her shoulder but she didn't care. Lauren's small frame was wracked with sobs while Jenny had calmed down, mascara laden tears still running down her cheeks silently. Jenny just rubbed Lauren's back soothingly until she calmed down shushing her and rocking slowly from side to side. Jenny was comforted by Lauren's steady heartbeat against her own but was not calmed by Lauren's failure to cease her crying. Never the less Jenny sat patiently on the ground waiting for her daughter to stop crying. Eventually she did though Jenny's left shoulder was soaked with tears. Lauren wouldn't stop hugging her though and eventually Jenny had to pry her away gently. Thankfully she didn't argue.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Lauren asked softly. Jenny gave her a watery smile and pushed a stray hair on Lauren's face away.

"Because honey you scared me. Don't do that again!" She scolded softly and neither Lauren nor Jenny herself believed the desperate tone to be an actual threat. Lauren didn't answer. "Why did you lock yourself in a closet?" Jenny asked searching Lauren's eyes for something, anything, a clue to why she did it.

"I missed you." Lauren said sincerely. Jenny knew she was sincere but also knew there was more to the story then Lauren was letting on. Call it mother's intuition but Jenny knew Lauren was hiding something. Either that or she really did not know how to express her emotions. Jenny figured a little of both. Lauren wiped Jenny's cheeks free of the black streaks running down her cheeks and Jenny closed her eyes briefly.

"Why don't we leave for the day?" Jenny suggested softly with no hint of playfulness in her tone and Lauren knew it. Lauren figured her mom was disappointed in her and it dulled her spirits when in reality Jenny wasn't disappointed at all. She was scared at what her daughter had just shown her and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. But Lauren didn't know that. Lauren nodded and they got up. "I'm signing Lauren out." Jenny said to the two women and walked out the door holding Lauren's hand. She couldn't decide if she was furious at the employees for not noticing Lauren was gone, or scared to death that something was wrong with her daughter. After they got situated in the car Jenny wiped her remaining make up off in the mirror. Lauren worked up the courage to speak.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked almost too quietly for Jenny to hear. Jenny turned around abruptly.

"No darling I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you. I was just scared. I didn't know what was happening. Are you sure that's the only reason you locked yourself in a closet, you missed me?" Jenny asked looking at her daughter. Lauren just shrugged her shoulders and looked down. She was definitely hiding something.

"Where are we going now?" Lauren asked after a moment of silence. Jenny hadn't thought about that when she abandoned the daycare in her wave of very justified anger.

"My work I guess. It's the middle of the day and I still have things to do." She said sighing and running her fingers through her hair. That's when she noticed Lauren's disheveled state. Her hair was half out of its braid and her dress was wrinkled and one strap was off her shoulder. Lauren nodded shyly.

"NCIS." She said remembering and Jenny was impressed she recalled that. NCIS, the place she absolutely dreaded right now. For the team to see her daughter like this after her melt down and after Jenny had ran frantically out of the building was less than ideal but she didn't have any other choice. Starting the car she headed for NCIS. To break the silence between them she turned on the radio to one of her favorite songs: _Oh! Darling,_ by the Beatles. So ironic right now she snorted and was about to change the station but decided against it. Maybe she could instill some good taste in music to her daughter. She looked in the rear view mirror to explain to Lauren what a good band the Beatles were she laughed softly. Lauren was asleep in her booster seat, head tilted to the side and jostling with every bump. Her mouth hung open innocently and she looked at peace. Unlike the state she was in just ten minutes ago. Her face was still a little blotchy and her eyes were still rimmed red but at least she wasn't screaming. She sighed and turned her eyes back to the road. Jenny knew that after meltdowns like those kids were exhausted and drained. She didn't blame her for falling asleep. Jenny was drained after a good fight too. Six year olds had a good way of handling it though. They fell asleep and left the angry world behind to a world of happy dreams. Jenny on the other hand and every other adult in the world sucked it up, avoided the person, stayed bitter for the day (or week), and drank coffee. Which only provided temporary energy but then you crashed again feeling the full effects of drowsiness. Then you go get another cup of steaming black coffee and the cycle continues. Kids had it easy.

Five minutes later she parked in the NCIS parking lot and turned off the car with a sigh. She had escaped her driver once again today though her protection detail would not be happy. They were supposed to be with her when she left the building at all times during work hours. She decided not to think about that though but think about how she would deal with her daughter and getting the truth. Maybe she could consult Ducky? Before pursuing that or leaving her car she had to apply new makeup. She applied a coat of mascara, eyeliner and red lipstick her signature. It wasn't a lot but then again, her normal makeup routine had gone out the window when Lauren arrived. She didn't have time to deal with makeup while also having to deal with Lauren in the morning. She got out of her car and decided not to wake Lauren; she needed the sleep and carried her out, locking the car behind her and walking through the front doors eliciting stares from security. She paid no mind to them and continued to the elevator. This was the moment of truth. Her secret would be exposed to everybody and reluctantly security measures would increase. With a vulnerable child and easy hostage there would be no chances taken. But she was more concerned with dealing with the team and their questions. She absolutely dreaded facing Gibbs and her regrets and memories all over again for real but it had to be done. Jenny didn't think she could look Gibbs in the eye let alone talk to him now with her daughter there and him might or might not being the father. But she had no choice so with a shaky hand she pressed the floor of the bull pen still carrying her daughter. Lauren was still asleep and her head was resting comfortably on Jenny's shoulder. Her arms were draped loosely over Jenny's shoulders. She was dead weight so she was a little harder to carry but Jenny managed. Her heart was beating a thousand miles per hour and she hoped the team was out at a crime scene. But Jenny didn't have that kind of luck and the doors slid open to reveal the team working on paperwork in the bull pen. She walked in, they saw the little red head she was holding and their mouths fell open.


	11. Chapter 11

She couldn't imagine what they were thinking and frankly didn't want to guess. Ziva was the first to stand up and walk over. "Is she asleep?" Ziva asked Jenny loud enough for the others to hear. Jenny nodded only looking at Ziva and refusing to look at anyone else. "What happened to her hair?" Ziva asked softly yet loud enough that the trained ear could pick it up and everyone in the bull pen had a trained ear. Jenny sighed and shook her head.

"God only knows." She muttered grabbing Lauren's hair and setting it all in one position and not in Jenny's face. Jenny looked up and realized the others had stood up and were walking over, including Gibbs who was bringing up the rear. She could only imagine the memories flooding his mind right now.

"Director?" Tony asked hesitantly looking at Lauren then at Jenny. Jenny sighed then looked down at Lauren.

"I'll explain everything later." Jenny said to him and to the rest of the team making brief eye contact with Gibbs who looked distraught.

"Jenny." Ziva warned quietly, this was her chance to tell them and yet again she backed out. Jenny rolled her eyes and rubbed Lauren's back subconsciously. _She was really knocked out._ Jenny thought but was quickly focused again at the staring faces of the closest thing she had to family besides Lauren of course.

"Fine. She's my daughter." Jenny choked out quickly and quietly but they caught every word and their jaws practically dropped to the floor. She whipped her head to Ziva who was smiling contently. "Are you happy now Ziva?" She spat annoyingly.

"Yes I am." She said holding her head high.

"You knew about this?" McGee got out after he stood shocked. He hadn't gotten a chance to see the girls face yet but the hair was definitely the same fiery red as the Director. Ziva nodded.

"Jenny had her when we worked together." Ziva explained and Jenny could feel the oncoming bombardment of questions. Before anyone could say anything Jenny spoke.

"Okay, okay I'm going to put Lauren down in my office and then I will come down and have a little Q and A." she said quickly, feeling the need to control the spiraling situation. The team barely managed a nod before Jenny walked up the stairs with Lauren still in her arms fast asleep. Jenny knew she would have to confess almost everything and she didn't know if she could do it. She walked past a bewildered Cynthia and set Lauren down gently in the office on the couch and walked back out. "When she wakes up you come get me right away." Jenny informed Cynthia sternly and she nodded before Jenny disappeared down the stairs and back to the bull pen where she knew they hadn't spoken word yet. Ziva saw Jenny's distress when she walked back downstairs along with the rest of the team and pulled her off to the side.

"_What is wrong? Why did you bring her here?"_ Ziva asked in Hebrew knowing there must be a reason to pull Lauren from where ever she was in the middle of the day to bring her here of all places. The team was thinking the exact same thing. The Hebrew was for the obvious listeners in the bull pen. Ziva knew this must be really bad and knew Jenny wouldn't want that being their first impression of Lauren. Jenny ran her hands through her hair.

"_I honestly do not know. I'm in fucking crisis mode right now! I have no idea what the hell is going on with Lauren. The daycare lady called me saying she had locked herself in a damn closet. She was having a meltdown when I got there! I don't fucking know what to think!" _She exclaimed loudly in Hebrew knowing nobody would understand their conversation.

"_Why did she lock herself in a closet?" _Ziva asked furrowing her brow. Though the team didn't understand the language they understood facial expressions and Jenny's was panic and Ziva's was confusion.

"_She said it was because she missed me but I'm not buying it. She's hiding something from me. I was going to talk to Ducky about it." _She said frantically and all the team understood was 'Ducky' and were even more confused.

"Later Jenny. Right now you have some questions to answer." Ziva said in English leading Jenny away from the window and back to the bull pen. Jenny sighed exhausted and they all saw it. Tony was the first to ask a question.

"So her names Lauren right?" He asked softly too surprised to make some smart ass comment or joke. Jenny nodded.

"Lauren _Shepard_?" Gibbs asked emphasizing her last name to see who the father was. But Jenny just nodded. This led them to the conclusion that the father was out of the picture and they left it at that.

"How old is she?" McGee asked.

"Six." Jenny said refusing to look at Gibbs whose face had turned another shade of white. The time frame was now down to Paris and they both knew it.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a daughter?" Tony asked cocking his head at her. She shifted uncomfortably and you would have to be blind to miss it.

"Security. The less people who know the safer she'll be. It's not that I don't trust all of you it's just…" She trailed off unable to finish her sentence. Though it was partly true her statement screamed bullshit big time and they knew it but didn't say anything. Her phone rang before another person could ask a question. _Saved by the bell,_ she though as she answered. "Shepard."

"Director Lauren is up and asking for you." Cynthia said and Jenny thanked her before excusing herself.

"I'll be back." She said to them and walked up the stairs to her office mysteriously. As she entered Lauren ran up to her and wrapped her in a hug. Surprised, Jenny hugged back then Lauren tore away and got very serious.

"You're not mad at me?" She asked quietly.

"No honey I'm not mad at you. But I'd like it if you told me the truth about why you locked yourself in the closet." Jenny said softly like a concerned parent. Lauren decided to change the subject.

"Mommy can you do my hair again. It's messy." She said and Jenny decided to drop it for now and do her daughter's hair. Once it was back in a neat braid Jenny stood up.

"Do you want to meet the people I work with?" Jenny asked Lauren and she broke out into a smile. Something she cherished in the delicate situation they were in.

"Yes!" She exclaimed and they walked out and Jenny walked up to Cynthia.

"Cynthia is there a body in Autopsy?" Jenny asked quietly while Lauren pulled on her mother's hand. Cynthia checked her computer and shook her head. Jenny thanked her and walked out the door. Lauren had let go of Jenny's hand when she thought her mother was going to slow and ran to the stairs in a fiery blur. The team watched as a happy little red head bounded down the stairs with Jenny close behind. Lauren sprinted to the bull pen where she saw the only familiar face, Ziva.

"Hi Ziva!" Lauren exclaimed happily and Ziva couldn't help but smile back. Those two red head's smiles were contagious. Jenny came up behind Lauren and placed a hand gently at her back and looked up at the staring team. She looked at Gibbs briefly but he was too infatuated with Lauren to notice her. He was probably reliving Kelly's life watching Lauren.

"Lauren, why don't you go introduce yourself to everybody?" Jenny suggested and Lauren bounded over to the nearest person who happened to be Tony and held out her hand. He looked up at Jenny quickly before down at the six year old then took her hand.

"My name is Lauren Caroline Shepard." She said proudly and Tony smiled his charismatic smile at her.

"I'm Tony DiNozzo." He said and she smiled at him before moving on to the next person who was McGee. They shook hands.

"Tim McGee." He said and Lauren smiled at him to before finally settling on Gibbs. They shook hands and Gibbs bent down to her level.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs." He said and Lauren giggled.

"You have a funny name!" She exclaimed and Jenny's face turned a slight shade of red.

"Lauren!" Jenny said accusingly. Gibbs smiled and looked at Jenny as if to say _don't worry about it, it's fine._ So with a sigh she quieted down and Gibbs turned his attention back to Lauren.

"You can call me Gibbs though." He said seriously and Lauren nodded seriously. "You know kid; if Tony gives you any trouble you have my permission to hit him." He said and pulled a laugh from the team including Tony.

"Okay Gibbs." She said sweetly and walked back to her mom. Gibbs straightened up and watched Jenny watch Lauren walk over to her. Gibbs had never in a million years imagined Jenny as a mother. But there she was acting as motherly as ever. Jenny sensed him watching and looked up. He didn't make a move to pull his eyes away and neither did she until Lauren stole her attention. "Mommy, are there more people?" She asked innocently. Jenny looked down at her.

"Yeah honey we're going to meet them now." She said and looked up at the team again. "I'll talk to you later." She said seriously then more motherly and like talking to a child she said "We have to go pay a visit to Abby." She said and walked to the elevator with a bounding Lauren at her side. The team was bewildered to say the least. They didn't know what to think about this unexpected appearance of Jenny's _child._

"Ziva how come we've never seen Lauren before?" Tony finally asked turning to her. Ziva sighed and saw the rest of the team also waiting for an answer.

"I think you should ask Jenny these questions." Ziva said before sitting back down at her desk letting the information they had just gotten soak in. Lauren was a complete mystery and all they knew for sure was that Lauren was Jenny's six year old daughter. Gibbs's mind was reeling. Who was the father? Why was Jenny keeping her a secret all these years?

Jenny and Lauren stepped off the elevator to be greeted by blasting metal music and Abby typing on her computer. Hearing the ding of the elevator she assumed it might be Gibbs with a new case for her but listened more closely and heard the unmistakable sound of the Director's heels and turned the music off and turned around. Abby was shocked at what she saw. A small red headed girl holding Jenny's hand was standing in Abby's lab. "Oh. My. God." She said mouth wide open. Jenny held back a laugh as Abby squealed in joy her chains clacking around. Lauren looked a little frightened yet intrigued by Abby's appearance. "Is she…" Abby trailed off pointing at the little girl.

"Yes Abby this is the girl that they told you about." Jenny said rolling her eyes. "And yes this is my daughter. Her name is Lauren." Jenny said and Lauren let go of Jenny's hand.

"Oh my God Jenny!" Abby squealed happily and walked up carefully to Lauren and held her hand out. Lauren looked uncertainly up at Jenny who nodded and Lauren took Abby's hand a toothy grin appearing on her face. "My name is Abby Scuito." Abby said introducing herself.

"My name is Lauren Caroline Shepard." Lauren said proudly and Abby smiled then pulled Lauren into a hug. Surprised Lauren didn't hug back at first but then she did as she relaxed knowing the friendly Goth wouldn't bite. Abby pulled away and knelt down to Lauren's level and pushed their faces together side by side.

"Oh my God Jenny can I keep her?" Abby pleaded and Jenny laughed.

"Maybe we'll come by later. We have to go see Ducky first." Jenny said the two girls frowned. Lauren took to Abby quickly.

"Okay bye Lauren. It was really nice meeting you." Abby said and Lauren smiled.

"Bye Abby." She waved as Jenny gently pushed her along to the elevator. They rode down to autopsy where Jenny was originally headed to talk to Ducky about Lauren's behavior. The elevator dinged and the two walked through the sliding doors to find Ducky sitting at his desk while Palmer organized the scalpels and things. Ducky turned his head as well as Palmer to see who was walking through their rarely opened door.

"Ah Jennifer and Lauren my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked and saw Jenny fidget nervously while Lauren looked around curiously.

"Ducky can I talk to you, alone." She added and Palmer nodded before leaving.

"What is this about?" He asked a little concerned at the way Jenny was looking protectively at Lauren. Of course mothers were supposed to do that but not this severe. Jenny didn't answer at first but grabbed a pencil and paper off Ducky's desk and ushered Lauren over.

"Sweetheart why don't you draw a picture for mommy?" Jenny asked and Lauren smiled.

"Okay!" She exclaimed and sat down in the unoccupied chair next to Ducky. "Hi Ducky." She said acknowledging him.

"Hello my dear." He said before Jenny pulled him off to the side. He started the conversation seeing as Jenny needed a little push to get started. "Why isn't she in daycare?" He asked her. Jenny ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the happy Lauren.

"She had a meltdown." She said quietly and Ducky furrowed his brow.

"I don't think Lauren is the type of person too…"

"I know I didn't think so either." She said interrupting him. "But I got a call from the daycare this afternoon. Lauren had locked herself in a closet and was asking for me. When I got there she was crying and screaming and they couldn't get her out of the closet. Once I was there though she opened the door and cried in my shoulder for a good five minutes." Jenny said worry clearly evident in her features. "I don't know what's gotten into her." Ducky sighed and glanced at the child.

"Well she looks fine now. I think maybe she missed you." The doctor said as a probable conclusion.

"Oh come on Duck. You know better than that._ I_ know better than that. Something else is going on here." She said and Ducky sighed and nodded.

"Yes I think you're right. Has she been acting strange lately?" Jenny thought over the last few days.

"She has been a little easily frightened lately. She looks to me for approval a lot. She didn't want to be left alone in my office. Did she seem okay when you looked after her?" She asked him. He thought.

"Now that I think about it she did keep glancing at the door." Jenny sighed and nodded.

"I left her home with Naomi yesterday and she threw a tantrum. Called me in the middle of the day just to hear my voice. Then today at daycare…" She said trailing off. Ducky 'hmm-ed' for a while before looking at Jenny.

"How often do you see her?"

"During the summer. Not last summer and sparingly the summers before." She said sadly and he nodded.

"I think I know what has gotten into her." He said satisfied at his own conclusion.


	12. Chapter 12

Jenny stared at him expectantly. "Yeah?" She asked.

"There is no scientific term for it. From what you've told me it seems as though you've been away from her for a majority of her life. Lauren feels that when you leave her that you won't be coming back. So she panics and gets you back in the only way she knows how to express her feelings which at this age is a tantrum." Ducky says and pauses to let her soak up all this information. She looks stunned for a moment as her eyes glaze over for a moment then she returns to reality.

"So she's afraid I'm abandoning her when I leave?" Jenny asks her brow furrowed. Ducky sighed and knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Yes. But now Jennifer, don't blame yourself for this." He says.

"Ducky, how can I not? It was my fault I had to take her to Europe anyway. If only I had slowed down a bit and raised Lauren instead of selfishly pursuing my career." She said angrily.

"Jennifer, don't do this to yourself. Remember to focus on now and not the past. It won't do you any good. Right now you need to focus on getting full custody of Lauren." He reminded her and she sighed and nodded closing her eyes for a moment then looking at him again.

"Okay you're right. Is there anything else?" She asked and he put his finger up and inhaled then spoke.

"Yes. You told me that she always looks to you for approval with anything she does?" Ducky asks and Jenny nods. "I think that Lauren believes that you gave her to your sister because she let you down. So now she looks for your approval so you won't leave her again. This ties into her fear of you leaving her when you for example left her at daycare. So when you leave Lauren thinks she has disappointed you." He says and waits hesitantly for Jenny to respond. She doesn't at first as her mouth hangs open like she wants to speak but can't. That expression still on her face she looks at Lauren and closes her mouth then opens it again.

"Are you sure I can't blame myself?" She asked quietly, barely a whisper. Ducky pressed his lips into a tight line and thought of a way to make her see reason.

"Lauren is the one who has made this wild fantasy up. It was nothing that you did. All you need to do now is show her that you are not going to leave her. I think she's old enough now for you to explain some things to her. Like why you leave her at your sister's house for the school year. I think it would help her see that it was nothing she did." Ducky explained and Jenny nodded still looking at Lauren.

"Okay Ducky thank you. I'll try to do that." She said and looked back at him giving him a weak smile. He knew this was hard for her.

"Did you tell them yet?" Ducky asked changing the subject.

"Yeah they know. I hope they aren't mad at Ziva. She's known the longest. When we worked together in Europe I had her." She said rubbing her forehead. Ducky sighed. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. Her child thought she was abandoning her and she had to tell her family her dearest secret.

"What about Gibbs? Has he asked questions yet?" He asked.

"Not yet but then again I haven't really given anybody a chance to yet." She said and Ducky looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think they deserve answers." He stated and Jenny nodded.

"Yeah your right. I'll go talk to them. Thanks for all your advice Ducky." She said and touched his arm affectionately before walking over to Lauren. She looked up at her mother.

"Hi mommy I drew Ducky a picture." She said holding it up. Jenny smiled.

"Go show it to him." She encouraged and Lauren jumped out of the chair and ran up to Ducky who took the picture smiling.

"It's gorgeous my dear. Is that me?" He asked pointing to the person in the picture. She nodded grinning from ear to ear. Jenny loved that about her daughter. She was always so happy in practically every situation and it seemed to brighten everyone's day around her.

"Okay honey we have to go." Jenny said and Lauren said goodbye to Ducky then ran over next to her. Lauren was in a stage where she ran everywhere she went. Jenny was amazed she wasn't tired out by the middle of the day. They got in the elevator and rode it up to the bull pen. In the elevator her phone buzzed and she glanced at it. Her weather alert was going off. A big storm was coming. They were predicting the biggest this century which sounded a lot more dramatic than it actually was. It was only 2007. Team Gibbs was discussing something when she came in, presumably Jenny. They looked up and saw the two red heads.

"Hi squirt!" Tony exclaimed and Lauren smiled but Jenny glared at him. "Sorry Director." He said sheepishly and Lauren turned to her mom angrily.

"Mommy, look what you did to Tony. You hurt his feelings! Aunt Heather says that you should never hurt other people's feelings. Now you have to apologize!" She said accusingly which got some snickers from the group of agents and Jenny was trying her hardest to hold back a laugh. Her little angel could be the funniest little kid sometimes.

"Lauren." Jenny said laughing. "I don't think Tony's feelings were hurt." She explained but Lauren had already made up her mind.

"You still have to apologize." She said stubbornly and crossed her arms. Gibbs saw that Jenny's stubbornness was inherited and chuckled.

"Is something funny agent Gibbs?" Jenny asked holding back a grin. He raised his eyebrows and shook his head suppressing a smile. Lauren however was furious.

"Mommy, stop hurting their feelings!" She exclaimed and Ziva couldn't control her laughter and snorted causing Tony and Tim to laugh as well.

"I apologize to you all." Jenny said to them and then looked down at Lauren. "Are you happy now?" Lauren nodded feeling rather successful. Once the laughter had died down Tony spoke up.

"Is there something you need Director?" Jenny straightened herself out and took a deep breath.

"I figured you all had some questions. So I'm here to answer them." She said and Gibbs tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes suspiciously but didn't comment. They all shared a look and McGee asked the first question.

"Why haven't we seen Lauren before?" He asked.

"I… can only see her during the summer. Last summer however there was a little mix up and Lauren couldn't come." She explained and immediately Gibbs's mind went to the conclusion that the father had partial custody of Lauren and gritted his teeth. He couldn't imagine Jenny having a child with anybody or duke-ing it out for custody with another man for that matter.

"Why'd you bring her here today?" Gibbs asked finally. The question she almost dreaded as much as the 'who's the father' one had finally come up. She sighed and glanced down at Lauren.

"Not important." She said absentmindedly playing with Lauren's hair and brushing the question off, they dropped it. Thankfully nobody asked the father question deciding to stay away from it.

"Is Lauren going to be here often?" Ziva asked secretly hoping the answer was yes. Little did she know the other agents were thinking the same thing. On slow days it would be fun to have a little girl running around that they could play with. Abby would be especially eccentric.

"Um probably on weekends but I'll have to talk to the SecNav." She said brushing a stray hair from Lauren's face.

Later that day Jenny sat in her office stealing glances at Lauren who was coloring. She needed to confront her sooner or later and she knew she should just get it over with now. So taking a deep breath Jenny stood up and walked over to the couch where Lauren sat. "Honey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jenny asked and Lauren nodded still coloring. Gently Jenny made Lauren put the crayon down and she looked at her mom curiously. "Do you think that I'm going away forever when I leave?" Jenny asked softly and Lauren looked down sheepishly.

"Yeah." She said quietly and guiltily.

"Why do you think that? I would never leave you!" Jenny said rubbing Lauren's back but she shrugged off the touch and angrily looked up at her mom.

"But you leave me with Aunt Heather every year and I don't get to see you a lot!" Lauren said accusingly.

"I know sweetheart but I have a good reason. A lot of people told me that I wasn't a good mother so they took you away from me when you were little." Jenny said and saw Lauren's eyes widen. "The only way I could keep you was if you lived at Aunt Heather's house while you went to school. I could see you in the summer but that's it." Jenny explained in simpler terms.

"So you didn't want to leave me?" She asked innocently. Jenny sighed in relief.

"No honey I would never want to leave you but I didn't have a choice. But now I'm going to try and keep you forever." Jenny said and Lauren smiled.

"Okay mommy."

"So you know that I will_ never_ leave you again?" Jenny asked seriously and Lauren nodded her mouth open focusing on Jenny's every word. "Okay good. And also do you think that you're disappointing me? Is that why you think I left you? Is that you disappointed me?" Jenny asked furrowing her brow and Lauren's bottom lip quivered.

"Yes mommy. I thought that you didn't want me because I wasn't a good kid." She said as a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. Jenny pouted her lip and wiped the tear away.

"Oh sweetheart, I am _so_ proud of you. Every day I am_ so_ proud of you. You are the best child I could ever ask for!" Jenny exclaimed and watched Lauren rub her eyes and look up at her mom. "You didn't do anything wrong Lauren. It was not your fault that I left you at Aunt Heather's and you make me proud, remember that. Do you understand?" Jenny asked softly and Lauren nodded then hugged Jenny who hugged her back enthusiastically. At the moment everything was okay with mother and daughter.

Later that night Jenny had surprisingly finished all her paperwork early and was ready to head out at 1900. So she gathered her things and roused Lauren who was half asleep and walked downstairs to the bull pen. The team was just saying goodbye to Gibbs when they spotted the Director and Lauren. "Jenny, Lauren." Ziva said acknowledging both of them. Jenny nodded back and Lauren nodded sleepily and rubbed her eyes.

"You look tired kiddo." McGee said and Lauren nodded sleepily and yawned. Before Lauren had even finished yawning Jenny was amused at seeing Tony yawning as well. Ziva laughed at him.

"What?! It's contagious." He exclaimed trying to defend himself.

"I do not see anybody else yawning." Ziva pointed out amused. He just scowled at her and turned back to the Director.

"'Night Lauren, Director." He said acknowledging Jenny but more focused on Lauren who smiled back at him. Jenny didn't mind. She was just happy they weren't mad at her. Once the team had left she turned to Gibbs who was still sitting at his desk. Lauren bounded up to him energetically almost all traces of sleep gone.

"Good night Gibbs!" She exclaimed and smiled at him as she rounded the desk and stood in front of him and not the desk. He smiled softly back at her.

"'Night kid. Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite." He said attacked her with the 'tickle monster'. She shrieked with laughter and Jenny smiled seeing the two of them. These were one of the many times she hoped to God Lauren was his. But she didn't want to find out because there was always the chance it _wasn't_ his. She had forgotten how good he was with kids. Then again he_ had_ had his own at one point in time. That was another reason they couldn't be together though. She didn't want to be a replacement for Shannon just like all his other ex-wives. A reason out of many that she left him in Paris. Once he stopped tickling her he looked at her mischievously. "I want you to stay up late and eat lots of candy. It'll keep the monsters away." He said glancing up at Jenny who was smiling warmly at the interaction thought slightly peeved that he was corrupting her with promises that don't even exist.

"I promise." She said proudly. "But mommy is really sneaky. One time she tricked me into going to bed by telling me that she could race me and see who got ready and into bed first." She said wide-eyed and Gibbs laughed looking up at Jenny curiously but she was avoiding his gaze. He could tell her face was flushed red though and chuckled once more before looking back at Lauren.

"That is really sneaky." He said and patted her back. "Okay I think it's time to go or your mom'll be mad at me." He said looking at Jenny who was looking at him now with an expression he couldn't place, somewhere between longing and hope. But that couldn't be right could it? Those expressions didn't make any sense for the situation. Then again with all the things he still didn't know maybe it did make sense.

"Awww." Lauren groaned and stomped back to Jenny. She chuckled and stroked her back before looking up at Gibbs. At that moment she was so tempted to confess everything she's always wanted to say to him. He looked as though he could handle anything and be happy with it. And she was happy because her 'family' had gladly taken in Lauren. But now was not the appropriate time. She would lose her nerve later anyway so why bother thinking about it now?

"_Thank you."_ She mouthed to him and he understood why she said it. He didn't bring the father thing up.

The clouds were rolling in. They were thick and dark and seemed to darken the very atmosphere. She noticed the pink sky being over taken with black clouds and furrowed her brow straining to look out the windshield as she drove home. Lauren was staring curiously out the window too. "Mommy is it going to rain?" She asked dragging her fingers across the window tracing the clouds.

"I don't know sweetheart but it looks like it." Jenny said paying attention to the road now instead of the looming clouds. Just as the dark clouds closed over the whole sky from horizon to horizon she heard the first soft rumble of thunder and sighed. Lauren would be in her bed tonight hiding from the storm and Jenny would be trying to control her overwhelming panic. She had a bad experience with storms when she was little. Heather, her mom, her dad and her were driving through the country during the day when she started to notice the clouds rolling in. Their car had broken down. So now they were stranded in farm land until the tow truck arrived. It would take at least an hour they were so far out. Since it was still nice out they sat outside and played around. But then it started to rain. Big heavy droplets that came down like there was no tomorrow. You couldn't see more than five feet. In their small car the noise was deafening. Being twelve she was long over her fear of storms but this was another thing entirely. She was terrified. It had rained earlier that week and the ground couldn't take much more water. So it started to flood. Then the lightning and thunder started. Soft at first then no farther than a quarter mile away. The noise was so much it actually shook the car. The water from what Jenny could see was up to the door. It was the most terrifying thing she's ever experienced. Being trapped in a small car against the elements. The wind had finally started to pick up and was rocking the car violently along with the pouring rain, flooding, and lightning it was a nightmare. Later when the storm had passed four hours later and the tow truck arrived along with an ambulance they were confused. Frantically the EMT's told them a tornado had passed not more than a mile from their small car. It had terrified Jenny to this day. She snapped back into reality when she heard the first patter of rain on the windshield. She turned on her wipers and focused on the road the rest of the drive home. Once they got inside they were soaked from just the run from the car to the house. It was really raining and Jenny was trying to control her emotions as a rumble of thunder got closer than ended with a loud pop that shook the house slightly. Frightened, Lauren clang to Jenny. This was going to be a long night.

**More interesting things to come in the next chapter. ;) **


	13. Chapter 13

**I didn't particularly like the last chapter so hopefully I made up for it in this one. Reviews?**

Jenny finally got Lauren ready for bed through the loud cracks of thunder than caused her to bury her head in Jenny's shoulder and cling onto her for dear life. Jenny was almost as scared but didn't show it. After lying with Lauren for half an hour she finally got to sleep through the noise and Jenny got up as quietly as she could and shut the door behind her. Jenny walked to her room and changed into something more suitable for relaxing at home. She wore long white socks, blue pajama shorts and an oversized USMC tee shirt she stole from Gibbs too long ago. She sat down on her bed with a book and settled in to read while she calmed down enough to go to sleep. Though it didn't help that the thunder was getting closer and closer together and the rain was pounding hard enough to wake the dead. Suddenly her cell phone rang and she practically jumped out of her skin but answered it quickly before it woke up Lauren. Her heart still pounding she took a deep breath and answered. "Shepard." She said breathy.

"Hey Jen mind letting me inside?" It was Gibbs's voice on the other end. Shocked she furrowed her brow.

"What? Where are you?" She asked confused.

"Outside, I'm freezing. Let me in. I didn't want to knock I figured Lauren would be asleep by now." He said and Jenny sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Jethro what the hell are you doing here in the first place? It's ten o'clock and pouring rain!" She exclaimed and heard Gibbs sigh frustrated on the other end.

"Could you just open the door? I'm soaking wet out here!" He exclaimed and Jenny sighed and hung up on him then reluctantly walked downstairs. After unlocking the door she opened it and Gibbs stepped inside. She closed the door as quickly as possible seeing the rain blowing inside to her entryway. He wasn't kidding when he said he was soaking. His whole body was drenched and his hair was matted to his forehead. She snickered.

"You weren't kidding. Okay take off your jacket, shoes and socks. I'll get you a towel." She said and walked to the bathroom to get him one. He admired her outfit as she walked off. She looked adorable with those tall socks and she looked absolutely beautiful without her makeup and in his USMC shirt which he had wondered where it had gone too. He smiled to himself and did as she asked setting his shoes and socks close to the door. When she got back he thanked her and towel dried his hair and arms. There was nothing they could do about his pants though. "Come on in." She said and led him to the living room. Lauren's things were littered on the glass table and he smiled. She crossed her arms when he didn't speak. "Why are you here Jethro?" She asked. "It's ten o'clock." She stated.

"We need to talk." He said seriously and she knew it. A loud crack of thunder shook the house and she jumped visibly. He chuckled and embarrassed she hit him to hide her blush. It didn't work. But Gibbs quickly got serious again and they sat down on the couch ready for a serious discussion. Jenny sighed.

"Okay spit it out before it chokes you Jethro." She said rolling her eyes. He looked at her dead in the eye and spoke the words she hoped she would never hear.

"Who's the father Jen?" She froze and looked up at him feebly biting a corner of her lip. He looked taken aback. "Me?" He asked pointing to himself in disbelief. His mind was reeling and he didn't know if he was prepared to be a father again. Jenny bit her lip harder tasting blood and relaxed. He would have to find out anyway.

"No. I don't know." She said quickly as she folded her hands in between her legs. He was confused.

"Is she mine or not Jenny?"

"I don't know okay. There was you and somebody else around the same time." She said quietly. Gibbs was offended.

"So I guess it didn't take that long for you to get over me!" He said loudly and she shushed him violently, glancing upstairs making sure Lauren was still asleep. Since Jenny heard nothing she assumed she was.

"Jethro you don't understand!" She exclaimed searching his gaze for some sort of sympathy but there was none. His eyes were cold and hurting. She knew she had to fix this and quickly. But before she could explain herself they heard a loud crash and the lights went out. Jenny's heart stopped as they were thrown into perpetual darkness. Her eyes widened trying to see anything but it was pitch black. The only time she saw him was in the flashes of lightning that were quickly followed by thunder. She searched the room for a candle and in a flash of blinding lightning and jumped when she saw a shadow that resembled a human. If they hadn't just had that conversation Gibbs would have laughed at her. "For God's sake don't just sit there! Do you have a flashlight or something?" She asked fear lacing her voice. He never found out why she was always so terrified of storms.

"No." He said simply and coldly. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Well once we get a candle and I check on Lauren we can finish that conversation." She informed him as her voice got father away from him. He tried to walk after her but banged his shin on the table by the couch. He swore loudly and heard Jenny's laugh echo from his left. Carefully stepping away from the table he followed the fading sound of her voice. Suddenly he ran right into a small body and stepped on her foot. She jumped back violently. "Yowch!" She yelled. "You stepped on me!" She exclaimed and Gibbs couldn't help but laugh.

"I can't see you!" He said steadying her arms in front of him. He heard her scoff.

"No shit Sherlock. Step aside I have to get batteries." She said and he moved over and she stumbled across him. When he heard her sock laden feet carefully come back he waited patiently so he wouldn't step on her again. But he was shocked when he heard a loud thump and presumably Jenny fall to the ground creating a louder thump. "Damn it!" She exclaimed groaning. He laughed. "Oh shut up." She spat at him as she clutched her head and flicked on the flashlight. Gibbs saw her crumpled in a heap at the foot of the stairs. He walked over to her and the light.

"What did you do?" She moaned and looked up at him her hand still clutching her forehead.

"I ran into the damn banister." She said motioning to it. He laughed and kneeled down next to her.

"Take your hand away." He said and reluctantly she did, hissing with pain as he poked it. "You're gonna have a nasty bruise on your forehead Jen." He stated coolly and she moaned as he chuckled. "How in the world did you manage to ram your head into a banister that's lower than your shoulder?" He asked helping her stand up.

"I'm a klutz." She said as her explanation. "I'm going to check on Lauren. You stay here." She said while she took the flashlight and headed up the stairs. At the top of the stairs Jenny heard a door slam and furrowed her brow. Walking to Lauren's room she saw the door wide open and no Lauren in bed. Then she walked to the sound of the slamming door and found her own door slammed. Smiling she opened it and found Lauren buried under the covers shaking. "Lauren honey what are you doing?" She asked holding back a laugh. Lauren's red hair peaked out through the covers and eventually her face.

"I got scared. My lights wouldn't turn on and you weren't in your room." She pouted her eyes red.

"Come here why don't we go down stairs for a little bit. Guess who's here?" She asked and Lauren smiled as she walked over to her mom. "Gibbs." Jenny said and Lauren smiled.

"Yay!" She exclaimed but quickly buried her head in Jenny's side as a loud crack of thunder startled both of them.

"Come on baby let's go downstairs." She said and Lauren held onto her mother's hand for dear life as they made their way to the stairs. The flashlight was pointed at the bottom where Gibbs was standing there waiting for them.

"Aim that light somewhere else." He said shielding his eyes and he heard Lauren giggle as they made their way down the stairs. Once they were at the bottom Jenny led them back to the living room. A loud crack made Jenny and Lauren to jump. Lauren clang onto Gibbs for dear life. He was a little startled at a little girl clinging onto him again but quickly adjusted and wrapped his arm around her. She relaxed into his leg and followed her mom to the living room. Jenny's heart was beating wildly out of her chest.

"That didn't sound like thunder." She said finally, turning to Gibbs and would have smiled at her daughter in the capable hands of Gibbs if she wasn't so frightened. He nodded in agreement.

"We'll check on it tomorrow." He suggested and she nodded and turned to the kitchen.

"I'm going to get some candles I'll be right back." She said and left Gibbs and Lauren alone in the dark. Gibbs heard Lauren whimper every time the thunder shook the house and bent down to her level.

"Are you scared?" He asked her gently.

"Yes." She said quietly and just as she finished lightning flashed brightly and she threw herself at Gibbs wrapping her arms around him. Startled he stayed frozen for a moment but quickly wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. Jenny didn't know if the kid was his. It was eye opening just to think of the possibility that this sweet little girl in his arms was his daughter. But who else's could it be? Before he could ponder the possibility Jenny had come back with a handful of candles and a box of matches. She lit all the candles and placed them sparingly in places so they could always see then she walked over to Gibbs and turned off the flashlight. Jenny was smiling at the sight before her. Gibbs knew what she was thinking because he was thinking the same thing. This wonderful child could be his. Gibbs rubbed her back soothingly and she peeked her head out of his shoulder. "I can see." She said and Jenny smiled.

"Yeah I lit some candles." She said and Lauren squirmed to be put down so Gibbs let her down. She turned to the two adults before her.

"We should play a game!" She exclaimed happily as the wind whistled though the house and outside. Branches hit the windows and thunder crackled. Jenny and Gibbs glanced at each other.

"I think you should go to bed. It's really late and you have a big day with your friends tomorrow." Jenny said and Lauren pouted.

"No mommy just one game of Uno?" She pleaded and Jenny sighed and turned to Gibbs.

"What do you think Jethro? Care to stay for a game of Uno?" She asked tiredly. He looked out the window.

"I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while." He stated and both adults knew that leaving in this weather would be dangerous. He would have to stay the night. Jenny looked back at Lauren.

"Go get it out." She said and Lauren smiled, grabbed the flashlight and ran to the closet to grab it. Gibbs turned to her.

"We'll talk later. For now let's just…"

"I know Jethro." She said softly. He couldn't help but notice the already forming bruise and lump on her forehead. Lauren came running back with the cards and they set it up.

"Do you know how to play Gibbs?" Lauren asked curiously as she held her cards. Gibbs knew how to play. He had played it with his family all those years ago. He nodded and they began. In the beginning it was quiet and awkward but soon they were all getting very competitive. The order was Lauren, Jenny then Gibbs. Jenny was laughing as she put down her "skip" card and Gibbs was smiling back. But then Lauren would put down her "X2" card and have cards spit out at Jenny and everything would be even. At one point Gibbs leaned into her and whispered in her ear menacingly:

"Karma." He had said and Jenny opened her mouth in shock and shoved him away playfully. It was on now. They all played their best cards but quickly got wise and created strategies. Gibbs would raise an eyebrow at Lauren and she would stick her tongue out at him before setting down a card that would seal their fate. Jenny groaned and pushed the button, again. Cards spat in her face and Gibbs couldn't help but laugh. After a few rounds around the table Jenny's eyes were narrowed at Gibbs who had somehow managed to get down to two cards. She set down a card that would force him to push the dreaded button. Jenny had a confident smirk on her face. If Gibbs got cards she would at least have a fighting chance. He just smirked at her and tapped the button as light as a feather but just enough so it beeped. No cards came out and Jenny scoffed.

"That's cheating!" She exclaimed pointing at the somehow rigged machine. He smiled mischievously.

"Mommy be quiet your just a sore loser." Lauren said smugly as she set down her card. Jenny's mouth fell open and Gibbs laughed high fiving Lauren.

"Where did you hear that term?" Jenny asked.

"My friend at day care told me what it meant." She said examining her cards and refusing to look at Jenny. Her mouth still open Jenny looked at Gibbs who just shrugged a smirk still plastered on his face. Jenny narrowed her eyes and set a card down passing the small machine to Gibbs. He set down a card then passed it to Laruen. The machine went around the circle one more time settling on Gibbs. With a smug look he set down his last card and folded his arms satisfied. Jenny's eyes narrowed again and her head rose suspiciously at him.

"You didn't say Uno." She stated and he raised an eyebrow.

"Did I?" He asked leaning forward and Jenny bit her lip then turned to Lauren.

"Sweetheart did he say Uno?" Jenny asked pointing her thumb at Gibbs. He scoffed.

"You're buttering her up! I think your mom should get a penalty." He said and Lauren looked from her mom to Gibbs without saying anything.

"Just because you were a sore loser Mommy I think Gibbs said Uno." Lauren said proudly and Gibbs smiled.

"Ha!" He breathed turning to her. She rolled her eyes and shoved him. Lauren yawned and Jenny turned to her.

"Okay I think it's time for bed." She said standing up. Lauren groaned.

"Noooo." She groaned but stood up rubbing her eyes. "I'm not tired!" She protested but Jenny just smiled and picked her up.

"Trust me kid you're exhausted." Jenny said and kissed the side of her head before heading up the stairs. Gibbs smiled at the interaction. Jenny makes a great mother. Ten minutes later Jenny came back down and sat next to Gibbs.

"She'll be back down here in half an hour." He said and Jenny nodded.

"Yeah I know. She's restless." Jenny said glancing up the stairs.

"I think we have a conversation to finish." Gibbs said his cold tone returned as he replayed the conversation in his head. Jenny looked nervous and she refused to look at him as she spoke.

"I don't really know how to tell you Jethro." She said quietly. He snapped.

"You don't know how to tell me that you never really cared for me? Because that's how I see it. You just have sex with everybody you meet?" He asked sharply and she slunk back at his words.

"I didn't have a choice okay Gibbs?!" She exclaimed then quieted down and took an interest in staring at her hands. "It wasn't my choice to have sex with him." She said quietly and immediately Gibbs felt horrible for what he said. He couldn't imagine what had happened. He tried to reach out to her but she tore away from him like she had been burned. She was no doubt reliving something. And he was right. The memories were flooding her mind threatening to overtake her. But she resisted and eventually came back to reality. "I know how you feel about apologies but…" He cut her off with his hands gently on hers.

"Jen you have nothing to be sorry about. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you." He said and Jenny knew this was as close to an apology as he was going to get. She swallowed and looked up at him. But their little moment was cut short by a blood curling scream.


	14. Chapter 14

Both heads snapped up and in an instant they were running up the stairs to Lauren's room. They opened the door and saw Lauren huddled in her bed shaking and crying. Rain was washing in through the broken window and a branch was swaying in and out of the jagged glass. Jenny breathed a sigh of relief. She had feared the worst. Gibbs was frightened too, surprising himself. Jenny walked over to Lauren, picked her up and carried her out of the room. They three of them stood in the doorway watching the rain come down in sheets through the window and the branch sway dangerously close. Jenny and Lauren's hearts were beating out of their chests. Gibbs, always the practical one, turned to Jenny who was clinging onto Lauren. "You have any duct tape?" He asked and she nodded walking to the closet and pulling it out.

"What are you going to do with that? Tape the window up?" She asked annoyingly. He rolled his eyes.

"Yes Jenny what else would I do? You don't want the rain getting in her room all night!" He exclaimed and Jenny sighed.

"Fine but don't step on any of that glass in the carpet. If you cut yourself I am not driving you to the hospital." She said accusingly. In response Gibbs just yanked a long strip of grey duct tape out and walked in the room. Jenny turned her attention to her trembling daughter in her arms. "Are you okay sweetheart? No cuts?" She asked brushing Lauren's hair back.

"That was scary." She said quietly and Jenny held her closer.

"I know Lauren but you're okay now." She said stroking her hair and rocking side to side watching him patch up the window. "Jethro that tape better not strip the paint from the walls when we take it off." She warned him and he turned around briefly.

"Okay fine you choose: water damage or a little chipped paint?" He didn't wait for a response because he knew what it would be. He just continued to tape the window. Jenny couldn't help but image them as a family. It was too good not to. But she shook the thought from her head as Gibbs exited her room. They made their way into Jenny's room to put Laruen down. Gibbs looked at Jenny's room. It was tasteful. Jenny set Lauren down in her queen bed and tucked Lauren in. By that time it had already reached 2430 and everybody was tired.

"Mommy, can you lay with me?" Lauren asked obviously still frightened that Jenny's window would break too. One lone candle was standing on Jenny's night stand illuminating half the room and casting eerie shadows. Jenny sat next to her daughter and rubbed her back soothingly. Gibbs was starting to walk out of the room to give them their privacy when Lauren called out. "No wait Gibbs you have to stay too!" She exclaimed and he glanced at Jenny as if asking if it was alright. She gave him one curt nod and together they sat on the bed waiting for Lauren to fall asleep. They sat in silence as Lauren's breathing just started to even out. Gibbs had been watching Jenny watch Lauren. He examined every part of her face. The warm candle light illuminated all the best parts of her in all the right ways and she looked absolutely stunning. It was getting harder and harder to resist running his hand down her back or up her thigh or in her hair or maybe even across her face gently. Jenny opted to not looking at him. She knew he was looking at her. Maybe she could address her feelings later but now was not the time. Gibbs couldn't resist anymore. He took his hand and slowly placed it on top of hers. She inhaled sharply surprised at his touch but didn't pull away. Instead she turned her hand and intertwined their fingers. She met his eyes briefly. Neither knew exactly what the gesture meant but they knew it was something else they weren't exactly ready to face just yet and didn't know how to deal with. Gibbs stroked her hand with his thumb savoring the feel of her soft hands. Jenny tried to pay no mind to his touch but her heart was beating a thousand miles per hour. He leaned in close to her his head coming to rest just behind hers. She tried to keep her breathing normal as his caressed her neck gently. Then he whispered in her ear just after a loud crack of thunder sounded. "Go to sleep. You're tired and we have work tomorrow. I'll take the couch." He whispered and she turned to face him, their faces just inches apart.

"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly, trying her hardest to focus on his eyes and not his lips. He nodded and got up quietly, breaking their touch. "Good night Jethro." She whispered a warm smile forming on her face.

"'Night Jen." He said before disappearing down the hallway. She sighed softly and lay down next to Lauren. The whole time Gibbs has been here Jenny has barely paid any attention to the storm. He comforted her whether he knew it or not but now that he was gone the storm was even more prevalent to her and she was shaken with every crack of thunder and whistle of the wind. But soon she fell asleep exhausted.

The next morning Jenny woke up to grey skies which immediately dampened her mood. She heard the patter of rain on the roof and sighed. A distant rumble of thunder could be heard as she got up trying not to wake Lauren. Sighing, she carefully walked downstairs and tried to flick on the light switch but it wouldn't work. Grumbling she realized the power was still out. The candles had been blown out last night thankfully by Gibbs. The man in question was up and stretching when she walked into the living room. He had slept in his clothes. They were wrinkled and his hair was a mess. His eyes were droopy with sleep and he looked adorable. But she would never tell him that, maybe in Paris. But now wasn't Paris. "Power still out?" He asked groggily as he stood up. She nodded. "Have you looked outside yet? What time is it?" He asked and she smiled.

"Slow down. Let's look outside now." She suggested and he nodded walking to the door with him. They unlocked and opened the door to find what looked like a war scene outside. Trees were down everywhere you looked. Most of the lampposts were down in the street crushing a few cars including the bed on Gibbs's truck. He cursed and she chuckled. "I hope you have insurance on that thing." She said as she looked around. Then she realized it was flooded and her heart sank to her feet. There were steps to get to her house so when they opened the door it was okay. But looking down she saw there was at least four inches of water down there where things were floating. Both their mouths hung open in shock.

"Christ." Gibbs muttered running a hand through his hair. Jenny turned away from the scene a little frightened because it was _still_ raining.

"Hey maybe your boat will come in handy." She suggested half smiling and Gibbs chuckled.

"If we could get to it."

"Maybe it'll float to us. After all, my house is higher elevation than yours. The water will be higher at your place." She pointed out and he nodded sighing. He was obviously pissed. Jenny would be too if her house was most likely flooded. "Shut the door Jethro we're letting water in." She said and he shut the door. "I have to call the SecNav." She said walking to her phone. She grabbed it and called him.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hello Mr. Secretary. I was wondering what you were going to do about NCIS and the flooding?" She asked looking at Gibbs who was running his hands down his face.

"I don't think we should go into work today. From what I've heard, Georgetown has the lowest flooding levels. And with all the trees down and debris I think the safest option would be to advice everyone to stay in their homes." He said and Jenny furrowed her brow. It never rained this much in DC. This must be some kind of record.

"How are we going to inform everybody?" She asked.

"I've already sent a notice out to everybody's email. But nobody has power so I'm hoping they just have the sense to stay in their homes. I hope your house hasn't flooded." He said.

"No it hasn't thank goodness. Hopefully yours hasn't either?"

"No. Well I hope you have a nice day off. Goodbye Director." He said and the line went dead. She closed her phone and Gibbs looked at her raising his eyebrows asking for an explanation.

"Good news. Work's cancelled." She said throwing her phone down on the couch. This would be a long day. Then she realized without power all her food would spoil. She cursed under her breath and confused Gibbs followed her to the kitchen. Then he too realized and laughed. Jenny also began to laugh at their ridiculous situation.

"How about eggs, milk and lunch meat for breakfast?" He asked knowing those would go first. She chuckled and nodded.

"That sounds good. I'm going to go take a shower." She said but stopped in her tracks from the look on Gibbs's face. An eyebrow was raised at her and he had a skeptical look on his face. Then she too realized how ridiculous that sounded with the power out. "Right well I'm going to get dressed then." She said and walked upstairs. Gibbs in turn decided to make omelets with the food that would soon spoil. Jenny changed into some jeans, a tan belt and a navy blue tee shirt tucked into her pants. She combed through her hair and left it down in curls then went to see if Lauren was up yet. She was stirring but not fully awake yet. Jenny let her sleep then wandered back downstairs to be met by the smell of cooking eggs. She smiled but then walked into the kitchen confused. "How did you turn the stove on?" She asked and he turned to look at her. She looked beautiful.

"Matches." He said simply and she nodded then walked up to him. They both knew how weird this situation was. It was like they were a family. "Jen about last night, I shouldn't have pushed you like that I'm sorry." He said not looking at her but at the omelet. Jenny was shocked.

"Stop the presses. Leroy Jethro Gibbs just apologized. This is going down in the history books!" She joked laughing and hit him lightly. He couldn't help but smile back. Her laugh was so contagious. "It's okay Jethro. You didn't know. I should have told you earlier." She said seriously as they heard the patter of little feet on the floor. Suddenly Gibbs had a flashback to Kelly and her little feet on the floor. He froze and didn't turn around. He wanted to keep the fantasy alive that it was Kelly standing behind him. Jenny turned around to see Lauren rubbing her eyes and holding her bear under her arm. "Good morning sleepyhead." Jenny said bending down to look at Lauren face to face.

"Hi mommy." She said yawning. Those words pulled Gibbs out of his fantasy and made him realize he should be thankful for what he has not dwelling on what isn't coming back. And right now he was thankful that Jenny was opening up to him and that he knew this adorable little girl. "Mommy why is your forehead purple?" She asked curiously and Gibbs snickered. Jenny stood up and glared at him.

"Last night in the dark I ran into the stairs." She explained and Lauren nodded.

"Aren't you going to go to work?" Lauren asked sleepily.

"No honey no work today. They closed NCIS because of the storm." She said and Lauren smiled.

"Good because otherwise all your friends would laugh at you. Mommy your face is really purple and bumpy." She said concerned and Gibbs couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.

"Jethro, would you shut up already!" She exclaimed annoyed.

"You really might want to put some ice on your head before it melts." He suggested as coolly as possible and she sighed but did it anyway.

"Why is the ice going to melt?" Lauren asked walking up to Gibbs. He turned to her.

"Because the power is still out and the fridge isn't keeping the ice cold anymore." He said and she nodded then her stomach growled.

"I'm hungry." She stated bluntly.

"I know so are we. We're making omelets." She said and Lauren nodded. "Why don't you go get dressed?" Jenny suggested and Lauren bounded up the stairs.

"She's a good kid." Gibbs said after she was gone. Jenny just nodded and got out some spices from the cabinet. "What are you doing?"

"Getting some spices. Eggs are too plain." She said in disgust.

"Oh come on you can't rag on eggs! Their delicious! You're going to taint them!" He said shielding his eggs from Jenny. She scoffed.

"Well nobody's going to have eggs if their burned!" She exclaimed and quickly he took the omelet off and set it on a plate then cracked another two eggs in the pan.

"What do you want on your omelet?" He asked pointing the various vegetables he had out: half a tomato, a green pepper, canned olives and mushrooms.

"Everything." She said sweetly and he glared at her.

"You want me to cut up everything?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes everything! Well not the whole thing of everything… You know what I mean!" She said stumbling on her words slightly. He smiled but was still confused.

"Jen you hate tomatoes. They make you gag." He said and it was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"That was before I had Lauren. Pregnancy does funny things to you I swear." She said wagging a finger at him accusingly. "Probie Jen hated tomatoes, mom Jen loves them. Probie Jen loved artichoke, mom Jen hates it. I throw up every time I eat it, it's horrible." She stated making some comparisons for him. He chuckled and shook his head looking back at the vegetables. "What?" She asked confused.

"I _cannot_ imagine you pregnant." He said smoothly. "Why don't you chop the vegetables?" He suggested and she did getting a large knife out.

"What do you mean you _cannot_ imagine me pregnant? I looked good pregnant! You know what's funny is that when I was pregnant I always had this craving for peanut butter. Lauren absolutely_ loves_ peanut butter." Jenny said nonchalantly as she waved the knife at him. Gently he pushed it away and flipped the egg. Gibbs did not need this; too much information.

"Thanks for sharing Jenny. Is this what all you pregnant women talk about? What foods you crave?" He asked confused and horrified. He could just image them sitting there eating their favorite food and talking about how much they like it.

"Jesus Jethro you know absolutely nothing about women. No wonder you've had three wives." She said as she finished cutting and tossed the vegetables in the omelet. He glared at her but at the same time waited for an answer. Now he was curious. She saw his stare and sighed. "No, that is not all we talk about. We talk about normal things Jethro. It's not like everything we do centers on our child at that point." She said accusingly.

"When does it then?" He asked.

"Oh from about the second their born to probably nineteen." She said and turned away from him as Lauren came back in a pink skirt and a white shirt. Once Lauren left to go play he asked another question.

"So what's it like?" He asked casually. She put her hands on her hips casually and walked over to him.

"What's what like?" She asked.

"Being pregnant." He clarified and she laughed as her eyes glazed over obviously remembering something.

"It's interesting Jethro. That would be the best word to describe it. Mood swings, food cravings, cold sweats, hot sweats, morning sickness. But it's more like every day all the time sickness which was..." She shuttered then continued. "It was a roller coaster." She said looking at him curiously. "What brought on the sudden interest in my pregnancy?" She asked. He shrugged but she knew he was holding something back.

**This chapter didn't really move the story along that much I know but I write long chapters so next one will be a direct continuation of this one (and probably a really short chapter too).**


	15. Chapter 15

"Jethro…" she said warningly. He continued making Jenny's egg.

"Yeah?" He asked coolly. She crinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes.

"What's with the pregnancy infatuation? Is there something I should know?" She asked suspiciously. He turned to her.

"No I just feel like I should know because I don't know I missed it all." He said casually and turned back to flipping the egg. A small smile crept onto Jenny's face and she walked up to him.

"You would have missed it all anyway." She said standing next to him.

"You don't know that." He said.

"Jethro you were married. You wouldn't have stayed even if I came back and told you." She explained and he furrowed his brow and placed his lips in a tight line and turned to her.

"Maybe I would have stayed." He said and put the vegetables in the egg. Jenny was shocked at his words but knew they weren't true. Maybe now they were true but not then. She sighed.

"Let's face it Jethro. You weren't ready for a family again." She said and he sighed knowing it was true. "I can take care of myself. Plus you had other priorities then. I know what you're thinking Jethro. Don't blame this on yourself." She said. He sighed and nodded knowing it was true, again. Once Jenny's egg was done Jenny make Lauren some scrambled eggs knowing she didn't like omelets. "I'll go get Lauren." She said and walked around the house trying to find her. "Lauren?" She called around and a small voice came from the study. Smiling Jenny walked in to see Lauren on the floor playing with her dolls.

"Hi mommy. Is it time for breakfast?" She asked standing up. Jenny nodded and they walked to the kitchen. They sat down at the table and Lauren made conversation by continually talking about day care and what she did there. Then she talked about all the fun things she did with Naomi. Once Lauren had left to go draw Jenny sighed.

"I forgot how much she can talk." Jenny said chuckling. Gibbs smirked and set his fork down.

"We should turn on the radio and see what's going on." Gibbs said and Jenny nodded. They cleared the table and Jenny got an old radio out of the closet and turned it on.

"_We just got reports in that most of DC is without power. Lightning strikes were off the charts last night and early this morning. The surge of electricity short circuited the power grid. I just talked to Potomac Electric and they said the power will be out for at least another day. For now their trying to clear the streets of the flood waters so people can get to stores for supplies. Another string of storms is expected to hit late today and continue into tonight and tomorrow. More rain expected along with lightning and high winds up to fifty miles per hour. Experts are calling this the biggest string of storms to hit the east coast in two decades. If flooding continues we advise you to move to high ground and…" _Jenny shut off the radio. She didn't want to hear anymore. The storm already scared her enough. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Then they heard a loud whirring outside. Curious, the two opened the door and saw large trucks outside with sandbags backed on the back. Crews were placing the sand bags on the side of roads to keep water away from houses. The rain had subsided and hints of blue sky were peeking out ever so slightly. Gibbs walked in front of her and out the front door. Bewildered Jenny followed, both in bare feet as they walked as close to the crews as they could without getting wet. Gibbs cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey!" He shouted and got the attention of one of the crew members in a neon yellow suit. He walked over sloshing in the water. Other families were also on their porches watching the crews.

"Hello sir. Can I help you?" The young man asked out of breath.

"How long until the streets are cleared?" Gibbs asked referring to all the debris.

"Well we can get the debris out of your way in a few hours and the water should be low enough to drive though." He said and Gibbs nodded.

"Are all the stores open?" Jenny asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"The warehouse stores are open like Menards, Wal-Mart, the pharmacies, and the big grocery store on fifth. Do you folks have a generator?" He asked squinting his eyes in the now more apparent sun light. Gibbs turned to Jenny.

"Um no I don't think so." She said using her hand as a visor.

"I suggest you get one. If these storms keep up like their supposed to we might not have power for a few days. You don't want your food to spoil. And I bet you want some pluming too along with your sump pumps." He said and Jenny and Gibbs nodded.

"Thank you." She said and the man left.

"Jen as soon as I can I need to go check on my house." He said reluctantly.

"Yeah I know. You need to get your things up and running. Do you have a generator?" Jenny asked him and he nodded. "Okay you go. I need to get myself one and get back here." She said and was about to walk away back into the house but Gibbs stopped her.

"Wait a second. Do you know what kind of generator to get?" He asked and she looked at him puzzled.

"It can't be that hard. It's just a generator. And I'll get some gas and…" He cut her off chuckling.

"No all the best generator's run on propane." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"Okay maybe I don't know that much about generators. But I think I can handle it." She said and he laughed.

"Do you know how to hook it up to the electrical system?" She looked at him like he was sprouting a second head then shook her head defiantly.

"Fine. Jethro would you like to help me?" She asked as nicely as possible. He nodded gratefully.

Finally when the time came they looked outside and saw that the road was clear enough to drive on. Jenny got Lauren ready and they grabbed their cell phones and keys. "Okay I'm going to the hardware store to get flashlights. I'll meet you there when you're done at your house?" She asked him before they split up.

"Yes Ma'am." He said before getting in his car. Jenny shook her head and strapped Lauren into the car seat. It was a miracle Gibbs wasn't pissed because of the huge dent in the bed of his truck. It was curious but Jenny decided not to dwell on it and focus on getting a generator. They rode to the hardware store with Lauren asking continual questions that never seemed to end.

"Mommy why is there so much water? Where are we going? Why aren't I going to daycare? Where did Gibbs go? I want to play with Gibbs. Are you going to work tomorrow? Can I play with William?" Jenny tried to answer the questions with as much patience as she could but finally she snapped as they pulled into the jam packed parking lot.

"Lauren, be quiet! We're here to get a machine to keep the lights on and to get flashlights. Gibbs is going to meet us here after he takes care of his house!" She said loudly and Lauren shut up. For about ten minutes. Then she started to babble again and wander through the aisles of the store. "Lauren, hold my hand. You have to stay by me." Jenny said and Lauren complied. As they were rounding the corner to where the flashlights were she spotted a familiar face. "Ducky!" Jenny exclaimed and he looked up and smiled.

"Fancy seeing you here Jennifer." He said warmly as he grabbed a flashlight and walked over to her.

"Yeah what a coincidence." She said happily, trying to ignore Lauren pulling on her hand muttering about looking at 'those squishy things' which were hoses used for pluming.

"What happened to your head my dear?" He asked walking over and touching her forehead lightly. She hissed in pain as Lauren laughed and spoke.

"Mommy ran into the stairs when the lights went out." She explained and Ducky chuckled.

"Has your house flooded too?" He asked grabbing a set of batteries. Jenny walked to the flashlights and picked out three.

"No thank goodness. Has yours?" She asked as Lauren flew from her grasp. Jenny whipped her head around at her daughter who was playing with the hoses. Sighing she looked at Ducky who had an amused look on his face.

"Yes it has unfortunately. Just in the basement though. I had trouble getting out here though with the rising water levels." He said and Jenny nodded grabbing a few packages of batteries and placing it in a small shopping bag.

"So did I. I had to wait hours before I could even leave my house. They were putting out sand bags and getting the debris out of the water. I felt bad for Jethro. The bed of his truck got smashed by a tree." She said absentmindedly. Ducky raised his eyebrows.

"Jethro was at your house this morning? The water level was awfully high for him to be driving out there." He said and Jenny blushed slightly.

"Oh no. He came over to my house last night to talk to me about Lauren. By the time he was going to leave the wind had picked up and the rain was coming down in sheets. I told him he could stay the night." She explained and Ducky nodded albeit suspiciously which just caused Jenny to blush deeper. She hadn't even noticed that Lauren was gone.

"Did you two sort everything out?" He asked.

"Yes we did. You were right Ducky he was very understanding." Jenny said happily and Ducky chuckled and turned to say something to Lauren but stopped. Jenny turned too and realized Lauren was no longer playing around but gone. Jenny's face drained of color. Immediately she walked to the end of the isle and looked around. No Lauren. She turned back to Ducky.

"Jennifer don't worry I'm sure she's fine. It's not like she left the store." He said trying to reassure her. It didn't work to well and she walked to the other side of the isle. Ducky followed and as she was about to round the corner she ran straight into Gibbs. Stumbling back she placed a hand over her heart in surprise and gasped.

"Jesus Jethro, don't scare me like that!" She exclaimed and Gibbs smirked.

"I think I found something that belongs to you." He said looking down at Lauren. She looked rather sheepish as she dropped Gibbs's hand.

"Lauren, don't run off on me!" Jenny scolded and Lauren nodded. Sighing she looked back up at Gibbs who was looking at Ducky.

"Well what a coincidence. All three of us here." Ducky said happily. "What are _you_ doing here Jethro?"

"Came here to help Jenny with a generator. She has no idea what to do." He said smirking and she rolled her eyes.

"Actually you _insisted_ in helping me if I do remember correctly. Wouldn't take no for an answer." She said happily. Ducky chuckled.

"Well I'll leave you to it then. I assume I'll see you both at work tomorrow?" He asked and they both nodded. Ducky said goodbye to Laruen then walked away.

"Speaking of Ducky. You know you could have at least told me about Lauren too Jen." He said to her but she wasn't looking at him.

"I didn't want you freaking out. Especially after Maddie Tyler." She said and he sighed. She was starting to get the feeling that Gibbs wasn't happy that she hadn't told him earlier but he wasn't constantly bugging her about it. He must have realized we have bigger problems. They picked out a generator and hauled it in the back of Gibbs's truck. Back at Jenny's house they got it into the house and Gibbs started working on getting it all set up. By the time he was done it was three o'clock and they needed to eat lunch. Gibbs flipped the switch to the generator and simultaneously the fridge, pluming, sump pump and two hallway lights came on. That was the bare minimum for appliances and they could get by without the other things. After eating lunch Jenny's phone rang. She went in the other room and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi it's Taylor from the daycare center. I just wanted to let you know that we _will_ be open tomorrow if you need to drop your child off." She said happily.

"Thank you." Jenny said then hung up. She walked back into the kitchen where Gibbs and Lauren were cleaning up. "How much you wanna bet SecNav'll make us come in tonight?" She asked leaning on a door frame. Gibbs didn't even have to think about it.

"Twenty." He said and she smiled. He didn't think they would make them come in because of the weather. The SecNav will take a day off whenever he can get it. But if a day care was open right after a large storm, SecNav would have them in as early as possible. Surprisingly though he didn't make them come in. All they got was an e-mail: _Attention to all NCIS staff, you are not required to come into work tonight. Though if a crime occurs you are required to do your job and investigate. _It said. Unable to decide if that meant yes they had to work or no they didn't, neither of them paid the other twenty dollars.

But tomorrow was a new day that didn't exclude the possibility of something else going wrong.

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while I'm writing this one, another one and am working on a possible third one, I'll be better with the updates now. Reviews please? **


	16. Chapter 16

Gibbs left just before dinner that night. The storms kept Lauren up rather late and Jenny got to bed even later as she tried to suppress the fear she was feeling. But early that morning she had to get her and Lauren up. She dropped Lauren off and as she was about to leave spotted Claire and flagged her over. "Hi Claire, I hope your house didn't flood last night." She said in as they stood in the wet parking lot.

"No it didn't thank God. What happened to your head?" Claire asked pointing to the yellowing bruise on her forehead. Jenny smiled as a warm blush flew up her neck.

"I banged it when the power was out." She said sheepishly and Claire chuckled before changing the subject seeing she wasn't about to talk about it more than necessary.

"What about your place, did it flood?" She asked locking a brief case in her hand.

"It didn't either but the powers still out. What about you?"

"Power's on. Our town has its own generator that didn't seem to be affected by the storm."

"Lucky you, Potomac Electric isn't supposed to get back on for a while." She said obviously annoyed and Claire smiled.

"Yeah I heard DC was having some problems with their electric system." Jenny rolled her eyes.

"It's because those workers are underpaid. I bet their using this to their advantage to go on strike. No power until they get higher wages." She said chuckling and Claire laughed back.

"I like your attitude. Most people I know would be more angry at that than making jokes."

"Well what can I say? It's better to go through life laughing than too serious." Jenny said shrugging. Despite the image the public and other agencies have given her as the force to be reckoned with, outside of work she's quite the opposite of a stone cold woman.

"Amen to that." A voice said from behind. Jenny turned around to find a tall brown haired man with a marine haircut. Claire smiled.

"Jenny this is my husband Rick. Rick this is my friend Jenny." She said introducing them. They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you Jenny." Rick said smiling. Jenny smiled back.

"You too Rick."

"Well we should be going. But Jenny you and I should get together." Clair suggested and Jenny jumped at the opportunity.

"That would be great. Here let me get a piece of paper and I'll write down my number for you." She said and they exchanged numbers then headed their separate ways. Jenny drove to work with a smile on her face. So far today was turning out to be a good one. With the flooding and storms apparently criminals decided to take a holiday. It was a slow and paperwork filled day. She checked the weather report. Big storms were going to blow in in a few hours. Jenny got bored and went downstairs to the bull pen.

"Hello Director." Ziva said causing the rest of the bull pen to look up from their work. She nodded at them.

"Do you know where Gibbs is? I need to talk to him." She said and Tony spoke up.

"He went out for coffee." He said and Jenny nodded pursing her lips. She was about to leave when Tony spoke up again. "Director, wait can I ask you a question?" She turned around.

"Shoot." She said just as a loud crack of thunder shook the building and they all jumped slightly.

"I… we were wondering why you kept Lauren a secret from us… really." He said and Jenny looked to the rest of the team who were waiting for an answer. Jenny sighed and leaned on the divider next to Tony's desk.

"Truthfully… I don't have full custody of her and I didn't want to tell you until I could keep her." She said and they nodded solemnly.

"Why don't you have full custody?" Tony asked looking up at her. She became visibly tense and stood up.

"That's not important Tony." She said just as Gibbs walked in. "Agent Gibbs I was looking for you." She said motioning him to join her in her office. He did and once the door was closed he set his coffee down on the conference table. Jenny was trying to ignore the pounding rain on her windows to no avail.

"What do you need Director?" He asked coolly. It was weird how just yesterday he was calling her Jen and now it's Director. Such a weird change, she realized now. It was also weird how she seemed to have two different personalities, the Director and Jen. She didn't realize that those two worlds would be colliding soon.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me out yesterday with the generator." She said holding one hand in the other. He shifted his weight and a small smile played gently in his eyes.

"No problem Jenny. Is that all you dragged me up here to tell me?" He asked suspiciously and she pursed her lips with a guilty look in her eyes. Something had been churning in her mind the past day and she didn't know if she wanted to tell him about it or not. Now she didn't have a choice though.

"Well I was just thinking… about whom Lauren's father is. And honestly I don't know. But I was wondering if you wanted to know." She said nervously. Gibbs noticed that her mask only came down when she was talking about Lauren and that was it. No other time did he get to see the Jenny he fell in love with in Paris that he missed so much. Gibbs pondered this. Did he want to know? Did he want to be a father again?

"It's not my choice Jen. It's your kid and if you don't want to know then don't take the test." He said and she sighed rubbing the back of her neck.

"I don't know how to put it Jethro. Lauren needs a father figure in her life. She's starting to get teased at school because she doesn't have a dad. And my sister would say how she would come home crying. I don't want that kind of life for Lauren. She's been asking why she doesn't have a dad like all the "normal" kids. And I don't know what to tell her." Jenny said nervously shuffling from one foot to the other. Gibbs tilted his head at her slightly and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you asking me to be Lauren's father?" He asked finally. Jenny blushed slightly.

"Well no. But she seems to like you and I would really appreciate it if you were there for her. Like a friend maybe. I'm not saying you have to commit or anything. Just… be there when she needs you." Jenny says finally meeting his eyes. They were shinning, with what she didn't know though. He nodded and walked up to her.

"Jen you know I would do anything for you and Lauren." He said softly then her cell phone rang. She didn't know if he was doing it reluctantly or happily and it was confusing her that he was being so cryptic.

"Shepard." She answered. Once she got off the phone she looked at him blankly. "I'm going out to lunch." She said flatly. He watched her curiously as she gathered her rain coat, umbrella and purse. She side stepped him and walked out the office door with Gibbs close behind. Jenny told Cynthia she was going out for lunch and to forward all calls to her cell. She made her way down to the bull pen and watched the MCRT work for a moment before exiting the building. They had planned to meet at a little café on third. When Jenny got there Claire was there waiting. Jenny sat down and they had a nice conversation. Despite her confused mind with Gibbs she had a nice time talking with Claire. They had a lot in common, though they both avoided talking about work. In fact they didn't even know what each other did. Right now they were having a little escape from work. Plus Jenny didn't want Claire thinking of her any differently if she knew what kind of job she had. While they were talking the rain picked up. The skies had been cloudy and dark all day with rain showers here and there and now the rain had finally sped up again. It came down in heavy sheets that made visibility down to almost zero. The two glanced out the window before continuing their conversation. But then Jenny's phone rang. She rolled her eyes while Claire chuckled. "Work?" She asked amused. Jenny looked at the caller ID and confused shook her head.

"Hello?" Jenny asked hesitantly.

"Hello this is Taylor from the daycare center. As you can probably tell the storm has picked up and there are many very severe weather alerts out. If it gets any worse the children will have to spend the night. So we're closing the daycare center for the day. Miss Shepard you need to come get your child." Furrowing her brow Jenny told her she'd be there in ten minutes and hung up.

"What was that?" Claire asked.

"Daycare. They said their closing up and I need to come get my kid. Apparently the storm is really bad out there." She said putting her phone back in her purse and waving over the waiter for the check.

"Huh. Well I'll go pick up William and drop him off with Rick then." Claire said paying, to the dismay of Jenny. Then Claire's phone rang. Once she got off she laughed. "Taylor gave me the same spiel." She said as they both walked to their cars. At the daycare center both women ran for their lives in the rain and made it inside miraculously without being totally drenched. The only thing not soaked was their clothes under their jackets. Which really wasn't saying much. They looked like they had just gotten out of the shower. Jenny sighed knowing her hair would curl beyond belief now. Taylor greeted them inside the entry way. Right before they closed the door they heard a loud high pitched wail. Confused they listened harder and figured out it was the tornado sirens. "Perfect." Claire muttered trying to get the wet hair matted to her face out of the way.

"Unfortunately with the sirens going it would be best for all of you to stay here until the storm passes." She said looking at the two women who shared an understanding glance.

"Where's our children?" Jenny asked ignoring her previous statement. Wordlessly Taylor led them to the large play room the kids were in. A few parents were buttoning up their children preparing them for the elements while the rest of the children were busy playing oblivious to the raging storm outside thank God. Jenny did not want to hear twenty little kids crying right now. Just then Carol came in, the head caregiver. She clapped her hands loudly.

"Okay everyone I was just looking at the weather report. I don't want anyone to panic but I can't allow you all to leave this building. If all the parents would gather round I will explain further." She bellowed. The parents looked annoyed as they walked over while half the kids were staring curiously at the gathering. Jenny quickly spotted Lauren playing with William. Once the five parents there were huddled together Carol spoke again. They gave the two soaking wet women glances but didn't say anything. They had come from the same environment. For a moment Jenny had forgotten this daycare center was just outside a marine base. So it almost surprised her to see two marine cut men in their uniforms huddled together. "I didn't want to alarm the children but there's a tornado headed straight for us. As far as I know it hasn't touched down yet but I don't want to take the chance if you all leave that you'll get swept away. At least until the storm passes I think we should all stay here. We have enough food, water and space for everyone including parents to weather the storm." She finished and one marine scoffed.

"I handled a hell fire of bullets and three ambushes. I think I can handle these weather conditions." He said and Claire spoke up.

"Excuse me but when did you get here? Ten minutes ago by the looks of your dry clothes. Well since then it's gotten a hell of a lot worse okay? And as much as I would rather be anywhere but here Carol has a point. Do you really want to risk your child's life because of your arrogance?" She asked and the marine looked at her guiltily seeing her and Jenny dripping with water.

"Yeah I guess you're right." He mumbled. Jenny was disbelieving the whole thing. Out of all the possible scenarios that today could have brought the last she expected was spending her day and possibly night at a day care center.

"I guess all we have to do now is batten down the hatches and wait for the other parents." Another marine said casually. The third woman there when Claire and Jenny arrived looked panicked.

"I can't stay here. I have places to be! I have to get back to work and I have seven guests coming over tonight!" She exclaimed angrily.

"I'm sorry ma'am it's dangerous out there." Carol stated sadly. Nobody wanted to be here and least of all Jenny. She had a damn agency to run after all. She couldn't be stuck at a daycare center for God sakes. Suddenly the door opened and four more parents filed in all soaked to the bone. Claire spotted Rick and ran over to him. Carol informed them on the situation. They grumbled and groaned but Carol used Claire's monologue on them and they shut up and went to tell their children. Jenny walked to the corner of the room to do the same.

"Lauren?" Jenny asked and Lauren whipped her head around. She stood up leaving William to sit and play without her.

"Hi mommy what are you doing here?" She asked and Jenny noticed she had marker all over her arms and on her face. She sighed and licked her finger then rubbed at the marker trying at least to get it off of her face.

"I came to pick you up because the storm is getting bad but now we all have to stay here and wait until it passes." She explained then bent down to her level and spoke again this time quieter so nobody else could hear. "Are you okay honey? You know that I'm just a little ways away and that I would never leave you?" She asked seriously.

"I know. I got a little scared but Carol said you're really close and she made me feel better. I know you won't leave me mommy." Lauren stated and Jenny breathed a sigh of relief. Jenny's message had gotten through to her. Then Claire walked up to William and explained the situation. The kids soon went back to playing like the news was no big deal while the parents started talking in little groups. Jenny was talking with Claire and Rick.

"I got the message and just came here. I assume Carol sent it to everyone." Rick said shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Claire nodded.

"Yeah and now the whole fam's stuck here." She said with sarcastic enthusiasm. Rick chuckled as a few more parents trickled through the door. One of the parents being Tracy. She shook her short hair out like a dog and Jenny had an irresistible urge to wring her neck. She gritted her teeth painfully. It wasn't like she had that many reasons to dislike the platinum blonde, from a bottle she might add, but it was what Gibbs would call his gut acting up. Jenny just hated her with a burning passion. Something was off about her. And it didn't help that she was so mean and rude. After no more than fifteen minutes all the parents were in the building soaking wet. All their jackets were in a closet no doubt getting musty but it didn't help their drenched hair. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the building and a deafening boom of thunder quickly followed. Jenny jumped and the hair on the back of her neck stood up uncomfortably. Children started to cry and a few had terrified looks on their faces while they covered their ears. Immediately parents came to comfort their children. Thankfully Lauren wasn't crying. She was one of the ones who looking terrified. Jenny scooped her up and comforted her the best she could. This play area was getting rather crowded and Carol invited them to spread out throughout the building. Lauren ran around with her new friends while Jenny pondered what could possibly happen while the tornado came nearer and nearer to them. Inside she was terrified but her pride wouldn't let her show an inch of it, though she jumped whenever a crack of thunder sounded. The rain was pounding violently on the roof and she could hear the structure creaking with the wind. Most parents were gathered in a big room called the 'meeting room'. It had hard floors and the only furniture was stacked chairs in the corner and two vending machines. Most people were getting their phones out to call their bosses telling them why they wouldn't be showing up for the day. It felt good not to have to do that, because she was the boss. But nobody else knew that and she'd like to keep it that way. She joined a conversation with a few marines about the situation in Iraq. If she couldn't be at work she could at least discuss something she should be in MTAC. They didn't question how she knew so much and she was thankful. It was a good conversation. But soon she noticed the tension between two marines. It was almost distracting. They would steal deadly glances at each other and sometimes argue just for the sake of arguing it seemed like. She left the conversation and dropped into another one with a group of civilians. They were mostly moms but a few dads. Then her phone rang. She looked down and saw it was Gibbs. She excused herself and answered it. "Shepard."

"Hey Director where are you? There's a tornado warning out. I know you went out for lunch so I was making sure you're on your way back." He said and Jenny heard metal music in the background. She assumed Abby made him call and she smiled at the thought.

"Did Abby make you call?" She asked smirking.

"Hi Director I'm just making sure your coming back because my cousin Joey was out when a tornado hit and he got swept up and then after the storm…" Jenny cut her off knowing it was on speaker.

"Abby I'm fine. I'm just a little stuck. I probably won't be back today." She said glancing around the room. Slowly she could feel the tension rising. Something was on the horizon.

"What's wrong? Are you in your car, because if you are you need to get to a building as soon as possible and stay there. SecNav already closed down NCIS with the tornado." She rambled.

"No I'm not in my car. I'm at Lauren's daycare center. They shut us down here too. I'm not leaving any time soon. But I think I might die before I get out of here. All the screaming kids are giving me the mother of all headaches." She joked but it was true. The crying at first was annoying but what was even more annoying was their screams of joy as they ran around freely, playing like there was no tomorrow.

"See I told you Abby, the Director is fine." He reassured her. Abby didn't feel so sure though. Something wasn't right.

**Review please? Hope you like it **


	17. Chapter 17

As Jenny's hair started to dry it started to curl. Annoyed, she walked over to Claire. By this time everyone had spread throughout the building and it took some time to find her. "Claire, do you have a hair tie I could borrow?" Jenny asked blowing a curl out of her eye. Claire laughed.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to your hair?" She asked eyes wide. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"I know I know I look like Taylor Swift, just give me the damn hair tie." She says holding her hand out. Claire smiles and looks her over.

"No! Why don't you leave your hair curly more often, it looks beautiful!" She exclaimed and Jenny smiled.

"Thank you. I don't know I've just always hated curly hair so I just straighten it." She shrugged. Claire smiled and hit her arm lightly.

"Leave it down and see what everyone else thinks. Come on it'll be fun and it's not like anyone you care will see you here." She said and Jenny had to admit she had a point. Jenny had been straightening her hair for decades, long before she met Gibbs. Maybe it was time for a change anyway.

Meanwhile back at NCIS everyone was still doing paperwork. They might as well finish it now since they'll be stuck here for probably the rest of the night. But one by one they finished and eventually the MCRT ended up in Abby's lab talking and having fun. Even Gibbs and Ducky joined in. Maybe the storm would bring them together?

They had been stuck in the daycare center for four and a half hours. Jenny's patience was running thin and she noticed so were the rest of the parents. A few arguments broke out but so far Jenny had managed to avoid Tracy. Since Claire told her to let her hair go curly the parents had dispersed throughout the building in small groups and Carol had supplied drinks. Almost like a really lame, tension filled party. The kids had all seemed content to gather in the play room and keep on playing. Claire, Rick and Jenny were their own little group talking and laughing trying to pass the time. The largest group of people she spotted was four so people were everywhere and anywhere you could imagine. Then suddenly a woman let out a blood curling scream from somewhere at the end of the building. All heads snapped up to the noise including kids. And very cliché like a crack of thunder sounded. Taylor immediately rounded the kids up and prevented them from leaving the play room while the others investigate. Jenny's agent senses kicked into high gear and she ran through the sea of people trying to get to the source. Her heels clicked on the linoleum as the people made a hole for her. Some were stubborn and she had to flash her badge to them which was annoying. Three people already stood in the small room terrified when she got there. The other sea of parents close behind her. She looked where the terrified adults were looking and saw a body covered in blood on the floor. Sighing she rubbed her forehead. "Move out of the way." She said quietly and obediently they did. She figured it was just because they were too shocked and terrified to do anything else. As the others started file-ing in for a look she heard audible gasps and some cries of despair. Suddenly she heard a man yell as she bent down to look at the body.

"Make a hole I'm a doctor!" He shouted and appeared in the doorway and froze at what he saw.

"No need. He's dead." Jenny said feeling the man's pulse or lack of it and looking up at the doctor. Sighing, Jenny stood up. She spotted a terrified Claire in the staring audience and Rick trying to comfort her. "Okay I need everybody out. This room is a crime scene. I'm going to tape off this section of the building. Nobody enters and nobody leaves the building. Understood?" She shouted putting her hands on her hips. A marine stepped up obviously distraught.

"Hey what makes you in charge?! He's a marine and I'm a marine. Therefore I should handle it!" He exclaimed pointing to himself as a few other marines walked up and stood by their friend. The parents started to mumble agreements. They'd rather have a marine in charge then a civilian woman.

"Now hold on a moment." She said trying to get the situation back under control. She pulled out her badge and ID and waved it around to the crowd. "My name is Jenny Shepard. I'm the Director of NCIS, Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Everything is under control. I'll call my team; they'll come and investigate this poor man's death. But as of now I am in charge." She shouted authoritatively and loudly then clipped her badge onto her belt. The audience looked stunned. Claire looked shocked and the marines instantly shaped up their act and had a certain level of respect for her. Jenny spotted Tracy in the audience looking terrified as tears streamed down her face. Jenny felt bad for her for a moment. One fleeting moment that didn't exist as fast as it did. A loud crack of thunder sounded and everyone jumped getting screams from the women. Jenny held her ground though. "Now I know this will be tough and most of you don't know how to deal with a body but for our marines out there I suggest you be the role models for the group. If I can handle it then so can you. Now I need cones or something to tape off the area. You with the blonde hair," She said pointing to the blonde marine.

"My name is Harry ma'am." He said stepping forward proudly.

"Okay Harry I want you to go get something to block this area off. Carol could you get me some gloves?" Jenny asked and the two of them took off immediately. She stared at the crowd hesitantly. They weren't moving and seemed transfixed with the body. Carol came back the quickest with plastic disposable gloves, perfect. "Thank you." She said and knelt down next to the body looking for some identification. She saw dog tags on his neck and gently pulled them out of his shirt and read them. Lieutenant Todd Johnson. "Todd Johnson." She read aloud and looked up at the group. They didn't move. "Well whose dad is this?" She asked waving her gloved hand that was now spotted with blood. A marine stumbled forward.

"Um Zack Johnson's dad, ma'am." He said hesitantly. Jenny nodded and wiped her forehead with her arm. She nodded.

"Okay. Let's not tell the boy yet. Nobody tells the kids." She clarified. Harry suddenly came back with a stack of wet floor signs.

"This is the best I could do Director." He said and she nodded and stood up.

"Okay I want everyone in the meeting room. Kids stay in the play room. Now!" She ordered and everyone got to work. Harry left the cones for her but Claire stayed behind and Rick behind her protectively.

"Director huh? That's pretty impressive." She asked hoarsely trying to laugh but failing miserably.

"Claire…" Jenny said softly and she looked up at her.

"The killer is here Jenny! In this building with our kids!" She exclaimed softly yet filled with burning anger. Jenny sighed.

"Just don't worry about it okay. I'm going to call my people and everything will be okay." She said trying to reassure not only Claire but herself. Jenny was thinking the same thing. The killer was still in the building. Before Rick could walk away Jenny stopped him. "Rick I want you to make sure nobody leaves the building." She said quietly and he nodded. She immediately got to work setting up the cones down the hallway to make sure the perimeter was big enough. Then she took off her gloves and tossed them in the nearest garbage which was by the bathroom. Somebody was throwing up in there. Sighing she rubbed her temples. This day was taking a turn for the worse if it hadn't already. She walked to the play room and saw Taylor in there with the kids. She walked up to Jenny and started whispering.

"What's going on?" She asked concerned. Jenny took a deep breath.

"Todd Johnson is dead." She whispered and Taylor gasped and covered her hand with her mouth. She looked like she was going to cry. The wind started to pick up outside and the windows rattled. "Keep this quiet and don't breathe a word of this to the kids, especially Zack." She whispered back. Taylor managed a frightened nod. "I want you to stay in here with the kids. I'm handling the situation." She said knowing Taylor knew she was the Director. She nodded and Jenny glanced at Lauren who was oblivious to the whole situation and closed the door behind her. You have to be really sick to murder somebody in a daycare with children just down the hall. She walked to the meeting room where it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Jenny closed the door behind her and faced the group who was staring at her expectantly. She scanned the crowd. Nobody stood out to her so she started talking. "Nobody is leaving this building until we find the murderer. I'm going to call my team. They'll be here to investigate each and every one of you. Nobody is getting special treatment no matter who you are." She said loudly so they could all hear her. One man in the back spoke up with a thick jersey accent.

"Well what if we got one of those ally-bye things?" He shouted throwing his arm up. A few others nodded shouting that they weren't even in the room.

"Hey!" She shouted throwing her arms up and they quieted down. "It's alibi and at this point everyone is a suspect until we can get surveillance videos and rule a few out. Even then you could be working with somebody. So nobody has an airtight alibi in this situation. It's not like you were going anywhere right?" She asked yelling and they all shut up realizing how serious this situation was. When they didn't ask any more questions she got out her phone and dialed Gibbs walking in the corner so nobody could listen yet keeping an eye on all of them. He answered on the fourth ring. She heard lots of talking in the background and Ziva laughing. "What in the hell are you doing?" Jenny asked seriously. She didn't know if she should be mad at Gibbs or not for what he said in her office. Was he okay with being like a father figure to Lauren or was he doing it just for her sake?

"Abby set up a little party in her lab since we're all stuck here." He said as the music and talking faded. He must be walking away.

"Well I need them, no more fooling around. I'm at a crime scene." She said and she could practically hear Gibbs's eyes widening.

"What happened are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Lieutenant Todd Johnson however is not, he's dead. I'm at Lauren's daycare center can you believe it? 30772 West park Avenue, Virginia." She said running a hand down her face tiredly.

"I don't know how fast we'll be there with the storm raging. Probably an hour or more." He said pacing the hallway by the elevator.

"Okay well just get here as soon as possible. It's going to start smelling in here and between the storm, the screaming kids, the hysterical parents and the smell of a dead body I am going to rip somebody's head off." She growled angrily. He chuckled.

"I'll see what I can do. Are all the kids okay?"

"Yeah their fine. I can't say the same for all the parents that got traumatized though. This could get ugly real fast. All of us trapped in here." She said eyeing the crowd.

"I understand. We'll be there as fast as we can." He said sighing.

"Okay, bye." She said and hung up. Gibbs now had the task of telling the team they had to brave the raging storm and possible tornado. As he walked back in Ziva turned to face him as well as the rest of the team.

"Who was that Gibbs?" She asked curiously.

"Was it the Director? Is she in trouble? Did the tornado take her car? Because when I talked to her I could hear the rain. I think she was in her car Gibbs." She rambled.

"Abby calm down. The director is fine although her dead Lieutenant is not. Gear up we're going to Virginia." He said standing in the doorway. The team sprang into action but Abby gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my gosh Gibbs, who could do such a thing?! Murder a lieutenant around little kids!?" She exclaimed pacing the room. All their heads shot to Gibbs. What wasn't he telling them?

"Kids, boss?" Tony asked speaking for everyone else.

"Director's stuck at daycare with Lauren because of the storm." He explained.

"Good Lord." Ducky said quietly and his facial expression mirrored everyone's feelings. They headed out as fast as possible. Gibbs was driving his car, Tony was driving the company van and Palmer was driving the ME van. They inched along through the road trying to see through their windshields. Plus at every turn their vehicles slid on the road making it much harder to go any faster than ten miles per hour.

Meanwhile at the daycare center the parents were talking in hushed whispers. Claire walked up to Jenny followed by Rick. She had finally calmed down enough to talk as normally as the situation would allow. "I didn't know you were the Director of an armed federal agency!" She exclaimed quietly. Jenny shrugged.

"I know I didn't want you to think of me any differently." She said and Claire smiled weakly.

"Thanks Jenny." She smiled back. But then Tracy walked up to her and Jenny's smile quickly faltered. Tracy eyed her up smugly.

"So you're a fed?" She asked not at all curiously. Jenny was fed up with her bitchy attitude.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Jenny asked smugly.

"Oh I just hate feds." She stated curling her lip in disgust. Well that said something about the platinum blonde. Jenny tried her hardest not to smack her senseless. The red head put her hands on her hips.

"Is there a reason you hate me so much? I didn't _do_ anything to you!"

"There are a few things." She started listing them off. "You're an arrogant bitch, your daughter is one in the making, you look like Shirley fucking Temple, and you walk in here like you own the damn place. Oh and a little piece of advice: lay off the perfume you smell like a fucking cupcake factory." She said snootily and before Jenny could do anything she'd regret later Tracy stalked off to be with her snickering friends in the corner. She was boiling with anger. Jenny started walking towards Tracy and digging in her purse. Claire jumped in front of her and stopped her from doing anything rash.

"I'm gonna shoot the bitch." Jenny growled, teeth clenched and eyes set angrily. Claire held her back.

"Jenny it's not worth it." She said quietly. "She'll get hers later. Right now we have bigger problems." Claire said finding Jenny's wild gaze. Slowly Jenny calmed down and sighed. Claire let go of her.

"Your right." She mumbled and took her hand out of her purse. Claire furrowed her brow and opened the purse to see what she was going to do and was shocked when she saw a gun.

"Jenny!" Claire hissed angrily. Was Jenny actually going to shoot Tracy?

"What?! So I carry a gun? I'm the Director of an _armed_ federal agency I have the right to carry a gun!" She hissed quietly.

"But you don't use it to shoot people who piss you off Jenny!" Claire exclaimed angrily. When Jenny didn't answer Claire sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Were you really going to shoot her?" Claire asked almost hesitantly. Did she really want to know the answer?

"Maybe in the leg or something." Jenny mumbled closing her purse reluctantly and shooting one last glare at Tracy before the door to the daycare opened and the soaking wet team filed in.

**Thanks for being patient! Hope you like it, it's finally moving in the direction I want it to go. **


	18. Chapter 18

**I just want to take a little time to thank all the people who reviewed, followed and added my story onto their favorites. It means a lot and I'm glad you all like it! And don't worry this story isn't going to turn into a murder mystery. It's just like the introduction to the second part of the story. **

The team literally was soaked from head to toe. When they walked in they saw nobody but around the corner saw all the parents in a large room. Wiping off their feet as best they could the six of them headed to the room full of parents so they could find Jenny, and the body. Gibbs walked in first and held up his badge. "NCIS! We're looking for Jenny Shepard." He shouted. All heads turned to the group of NCIS agents with their black jackets and hats on. Jenny turned around and walked up to them. Their mouths almost fell open and their eyes widened slightly. Seeing their looks she subconsciously played with a curl on her finger.

"Director what's with your hair?" Tony asked examining it. The team was thinking the same thing along with staring curiously at the yellow bruise on her forehead. Ziva hit him and muttered something in Hebrew to him, probably not anything good. Embarrassed, Jenny sighed and turned to Claire who was silently laughing.

"Would you give me the damn hair tie already?!" She pleaded holding her hand out. Claire was grinning ear to ear seeing the reaction NCIS and handed her the hair tie from her pocket, albeit reluctantly. She turned back to the team and shot them angry glares. They wiped the weird looks of their face and looked at her expectantly. Gibbs on the other hand was looking at her with something she couldn't place. Taking a deep breath and motioned to them to follow her. Trusting Claire would keep an eye on the parents she left to go show them the body. Thankfully the team said nothing about her language back there. She would have fired them on the spot. Jenny was already embarrassed enough that her hair looked like "Shirley fucking Temple". She couldn't get what Tracy said out of her mind either. Her daughter was not a bitch in the making and she did not smell like a cupcake factory… right? As they approached the crime scene McGee broke the silence.

"Wet floor signs?" Jenny turned to him angrily.

"Yes McGee it's the best I could do for crime scene tape!" She exclaimed and they shut up seeing as she was beyond pissed at something. They stepped over the signs and walked into the room. The team immediately got to work bagging, tagging and photographing. Once they were done documenting the crime scene Ducky got to work on his initial findings while the rest of the team walked back into the hallway. They cornered Jenny.

"Where are the children?" Ziva asked.

"Second door on the right." She said her Directors mask already up compared to the way she was acting just five minutes ago in the meeting room.

"I take it the parents are all in that room?" Tony asked referring to the room they were in when they first came in. She nodded. Gibbs kept looking at her and she was starting to get unnerved.

"DiNozzo witness statements. McGee, talk to the kids, see if they saw anything. Ziva list of kids, parents and surveillance if there is any." He said and they got to work right away leaving Jenny alone with Gibbs. They stared at each other for a moment before she broke the gaze, curious. Usually neither would break eye contact. "I need your statement too Jen." He said quietly. They were in a small hallway together and Jenny was starting to get claustrophobic. She walked away from him and to the main entry way. He followed her and waited until she started talking.

"I arrived with Claire Foley. That was during lunch. The secretary Taylor had called all the parents saying how they were closing down because of the storm so we needed to go get our kids. When we arrived there were already three other parents there. That's when the head woman Carol came out and told us that there were tornado sightings and we had to stay here. After all the parents arrived we had nothing better to do then talk. So the kids stayed in the main room over there and the parents spread out throughout the building in small groups. At about 1630 somebody screamed. When I got there the man was dead and there were a few people standing around the body. They looked like they would either throw up or have some kind of psychotic break right there. I didn't pay much attention to them. Then a man who said he was a doctor came barreling through. There was no use for him. I got the crime scene taped off and the parents in that room." She said finishing and watching Gibbs write it all down in his note pad. Then she flipped her curly hair and put it up in a high pony tail then looked back at him. She brushed her also curly bangs to the side and felt to make sure there were no bumps in her pony tail. Thank goodness there weren't but the pony tail was still a wavy mess. Either way she was happy that it was out of the way and no longer causing a distraction. "What are you staring at Gibbs?" She asked when he didn't break eye contact. A small smile graced his lips before he shook his head and walked off. Jenny looked to the ceiling and shook her head before walking to the children's room. When she entered McGee was sitting cross legged surrounded by all the children. He got them to tell him their accounts of the incident though it included a lot of sound effects and demonstrations. She smiled and walked up to him. The kids looked up hearing heels clicking on the floor and looked up. One little red head jumped up and ran to Jenny. She scooped her little girl up and gave her a hug. McGee watched curiously. He along with everyone else had never seen this motherly side of the Director. Jenny kissed Lauren's head then set her down. "Did you get all of their… statements?" She asked McGee. He nodded and stood up. But the kids protested and clung to McGee. They shouted all kinds of things that included "No Timmy I wanna play!", "You promised!" and "Don't go!" Jenny laughed and turned to him.

"What did you do to them?" She asked with an amused look on her face. McGee stumbled on his words as he tried to get away from the little kids.

"I don't know! I had to reason with them for a while before I could get them to talk." He said finally getting away from the children. Jenny smiled.

"Okay McGee you can go now. I'll stay here with them." She said and he nodded exiting the room.

Meanwhile DiNozzo was getting witness statements. Claire Foley was one of the last ones he decided to talk to. "Hello my name is Agent DiNozzo. Can you tell me everything that happened since you arrived today?" He asked and she recounted everything up until a certain point. "Miss is that all?" He asked raising an eyebrow and holding his pen hesitantly over the note pad. Claire was fidgeting. Tony was suspicious.

"Jenny is going to kill me." She mumbled and Tony's head shot up in curiosity.

"Pardon? Ma'am I need everything you know. If you're holding back we can charge you with obstruction of justice." He said now deadly serious. Claire took a deep breath and pulled Tony off to the side and leaned in so nobody else could hear. DiNozzo did the same thing curious as to what was such a big secret and possibly helpful to the case.

"Don't tell Jenny I told you this. She'll kill me." She said seriously and DiNozzo smiled.

"Scouts honor."

"Okay well Jenny and Tracy Zimmerman had a sort of falling out." She said and Tony was definitely interested though it didn't have anything to do with the case or maybe it did. When Tony didn't speak she continued. "Tracy started insulting her and her daughter. I stopped Jenny before she could do anything she'd regret later but boy was she pissed. She started getting her gun out and said she was going to kill Tracy." Tony was grinning from ear to ear and he couldn't control his laughter.

"Jenny as in Jennifer Shepard? The Director of NCIS said that?!" He exclaimed happily and Claire nodded seriously. "Ha! That is too good! Thank you for your statement." He said laughing and stumbling out of the room to come face to face with Gibbs. His laughter stopped immediately and Gibbs frowned.

"What's so funny DiNozzo?" He asked raising an eyebrow. Tony didn't want to get fired for leaking Jenny's embarrassing secret so he kept his mouth sealed.

"You might want to ask the Director that." He chuckled before a head slap stopped him in his tracks.

"Update." Gibbs barked as McGee and Ziva walked over too.

"All the parents and children are accounted for. Ten minutes before the death of the Lieutenant the cameras all over the building stopped recording." Ziva stated.

"The kids were shielded from the incident. They heard the scream and all the parents running then an assistant named Taylor kept them in the room." McGee said.

"Everybody was in various points in the building. The ones closest to the man when he died said they saw nothing suspicious. They said the Lieutenant was in the room with four other men and women. The witnesses identified the four other people as Jonny Adams, Sam Berte, Jessica Reynolds, and Helen Cabell. I also found out an interesting piece of information on the Director." Tony said wiggling his eyebrows.

"What is it DiNozzo?" Jenny asked from behind him. He whipped around and Jenny had her arms folded and expression in a hard line.

"Uh nothing Director just some little nothing. It was nothing." He said and she nodded.

"That's what I thought." She said and walked into the room with the parents. Ziva laughed and poked Tony.

"Gibbs is not the only one who can sneak up on people." She said happily and Tony shot her a dirty look.

"Okay Tony, Ziva round up the four of them and McGee work on getting those tapes up and running again." Gibbs said and they went off to do their jobs. Tony and Ziva brought the four to Gibbs quickly and Gibbs used the small office for the employees as an interrogation room since they still couldn't get out of here because of the storm. "Tony, Ziva watch them I'll be back." He said and left to go talk to Ducky.

"Oh hello Jethro." He said looking up from the body.

"Hey Duck, so what's the verdict?" He asked bending down next to Ducky.

"Well I know he died from multiple stab wounds to the chest and bled out within a minute or two. I'll know more if I can perform a proper autopsy." He said looking at Gibbs who was nodding.

"Where's Palmer?"

"Poor Mr. Palmer is out there braving the elements to get out gurney. Speaking of the weather I was just checking the reports and it seems the tornado passed by us. The storm should be letting up soon so Mr. Palmer and I can head back to NCIS." Ducky said and Gibbs nodded and checked his watch. It was past sun down now and it was dark out. Sighing he ran a hand down his face. "You look tired." Ducky stated.

"Just a little overwhelmed Ducky." Gibbs said about to stand up.

"Yes I know all of this new information on Jennifer is quite overwhelming and I can see that you are mad at her for not telling you. But Jethro you need to understand that she is troubled. I don't know what exactly is going on in her head but Lauren finally being known to the team had put a great weight on her conscience." He said and Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"Duck the kid might or might not be mine and she didn't tell me. How was I supposed to react?" He asked throwing his hands up. Ducky sighed and pursed his lips.

"I think you need to do some reflecting on your time with Jenny. There are some things that might surprise you." He said cryptically and Gibbs left without another word passing Palmer on the way. He could maybe do that later. Right now he had a crime to solve. He went back to the room and entered stoically.

"Get Adams, Berte and Reynolds out of here and keep an eye on them." He said and sat down across from Helen. After a long silence Gibbs finally spoke. "You were one of four who was in the room with Lieutenant Johnson when he was killed." He said leaning towards her menacingly. She cringed and folded her hands in her lap.

"Agent…?"

"Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs when Todd was murdered I wasn't in the room but I know who did it." She said seriously. He raised an eyebrow and she kept talking. "It was Sam Berte. He told us we'd have to keep it a secret or he would kill us! I don't know where he hid the murder weapon but I swear I wasn't in the room!" She exclaimed seriously.

"Well where were you then?" Gibbs asked.

"I just left to go to the bathroom." She stated as if he didn't believe her. He decided to interview Berte last. The other two though said something along the lines of, it was Berte, we weren't in the room when it happened and he'll kill us if we tell. They voice recorded the interrogations and when Gibbs came out Tony was ecstatic.

"This is great boss. Everyone said he did it! We can go home to our soggy houses for the weekend!" He exclaimed happily but Gibbs just gave him a head slap.

"Let's see what Berte says." Gibbs says and gets Berte in the room and sits him down. "So your friends are blaming you for the murder of Lieutenant Johnson." Gibbs stated coolly and Berte's eyes widened in shock and fear.

"No man I wouldn't kill him! I couldn't he was my friend why would I kill him?!"

"I don't know why would you?" Berte sighed and said a silent prayer.

"Look I didn't kill him I swear! And those three are lying!" He exclaimed frantically.

"Make me believe you Berte." Gibbs said leaning back in his chair. Berte pressed his lips into a tight line and folded his arms. Gibbs got up and left. Tony came up to him.

"What are you thinking boss?"

"You got the three separated?"

"Yeah, what about Berte? You think he's innocent?" Tony asked curiously.

"I think he got the short straw." Gibbs said quietly, glancing at the three suspects isolated in chairs across the room where Tony could keep I good eye on them. "One of those three is the killer. Their covering for somebody. Berte however was not in on this plan. The greatest mistake the killer made." Gibbs said.

"If they all say their innocent then one of them must be threatening them to lie." Tony clarified and Gibbs nodded.

"Stay here and watch them I'll be back." He said and ran into Ducky in the hallway with the gurney.

"We're going back to NCIS Jethro." Ducky informed them. He nodded and found McGee in another hallway by the bathroom sitting on the floor with a camera and muttering to himself.

"McGee!" Gibbs said loudly and his head snapped up.

"Yeah boss!"

"What are you doing?"

"Well this is the only private spot I could find. The suspects took up the last available space so I'm here." He said and caught the look of impatience on Gibbs's face. "But that's not what you wanted to know. I'm trying to get the footage back I really am but whoever did it is good. They did it from a different location because nobody shows up on the cameras prior to when they stopped filming. It's going to take some time." He said and Gibbs walked away. He walked to find Ziva and see what she's gathered so far. He found her along with Jenny talking in whispers outside the door to the children's room. The weird part was that they were sitting on the ground leaning on the wall. Both were sitting with their legs crossed. Gibbs coughed and they looked up.

"Ziver I need an update." He said and noticed Jenny wouldn't or couldn't look at him. Something was on her mind.

"The adults don't know anything Gibbs. The only people we should worry about are those four in the room with him." She said not getting up.

"Find out what jobs the four of them have." He said and Ziva stood up followed by Jenny. Ziva walked away leaving Jenny alone with Gibbs for the second time that day. "Getting bored yet?" He asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want Gibbs?" He tilted his head motioning for her to follow him. She did.

"Interrogate with me." He said and Jenny's head whipped around in surprise to him. Then slowly a small yet visible smile formed on her face.


	19. Chapter 19

They walked in and set up a radio and recording device so DiNozzo could hear. Just as the pair was starting the interrogation Ziva came up to listen. "Where is Gibbs?"

"Shhh I'm listening to the masters at work." He said and they both listened to what was going on in the room.

"So Sam Berte's your name right?" Jenny asked slouching in her chair. He nodded uncertainly. She tilted her head at him while Gibbs stalked the floor around Berte. "You don't seem so sure Berte." She said.

"I'm sure." He said more confidently and Jenny stayed silent for a moment then before she could say anything he spoke up again. "You know when I first met you; you seemed like a nice gal. Happy and funny and now you're freaking me out. I swear I didn't do anything like I told Agent Gibbs!" Berte exclaimed looking at Gibbs.

Tony scoffed at the other end. "The Director funny? What is this parallel universe?" He asked absentmindedly and Ziva hit him softly before shushing him.

"Well if you gave us proof we might believe you. But since you haven't given us anything to prove your innocence…" She said getting up and pulling out a pair of handcuffs. His eyes widened.

"No, no wait! I swear it wasn't me!" He shouted and Gibbs slammed his fists down on the wooden table causing Berte to jump but Jenny didn't even flinch and never broke her unnerving eye contact with the man in question.

"_Why_ wasn't it you? Tell us or we will arrest you right here and now!" Gibbs yelled and Berte recoiled.

"I can't tell you alright? I'll get killed!" He yelled looking panicky.

"I promise you that we will not let the true murderer hurt you. But you have to tell us who the person is." Jenny said gently as she leaned forward on the table. Berte sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Just as he was opening his mouth to answer they saw a bright flash, deafening thunder and the room was thrown into darkness. Jenny sighed and dropped her head as they heard the screams of the little kids. Angrily Gibbs walked out the door with Jenny on his heels in the dark.

"Hey you can't just leave me here in the dark!" Berte exclaimed sounding scared but all he got was a slamming of the door and the click as it locked from the outside.

"DiNozzo quick a flashlight!" Jenny exclaimed and suddenly a beam of light shown in their faces. The two shielded their eyes and the beam lowered to reveal Ziva was the one holding it.

"I like to be prepared." She explained.

"The suspects." Gibbs said gruffly and she turned the beam on all of them who were still sitting in their chairs looking annoyed.

"Keep an eye on them you two. We'll be back." Jenny said and they walked off in the darkness finally following the muffled cries to the children's room. Opening the door they saw nothing until three beams of light shown throughout the room. Taylor was holding all three flashlights. In the light they saw the kids relax now that they could see. Jenny strode in purposefully followed closely by Gibbs. "Taylor do you have any more flashlights?" She nodded.

"Yeah there's a box full in the closet." She said aiming one of the flashlights at the corner of the room. The closet that Lauren had locked herself into. Jenny shoved away the memory and walked over there taking the whole box and walking out. She didn't have time to talk to her daughter and make sure she was alright. Gibbs turned on a flashlight for them to see with and then they strode to the parents meeting place and opened the door to find them all chatting in hushed whispers. They turned to the source of light and saw the NCIS employees in the doorway.

"Gather 'round. We've got flashlights!" Gibbs shouted and one by one he gave ten people flashlights.

"Unfortunately we need you all to stay here until the case is solved. Thank you for your cooperation." She said and was bombarded by angry protests. Things like: "We've been here all afternoon!", "We're not suspects I demand to leave!" and "Then solve the damn case already!" rang out angrily and Gibbs yelled to silence them.

"Hey! Unless you want a murderer walking free I suggest you shut up and stay here until we tell you!" Gibbs yelled and Jenny smiled to herself as they left the room. They heard a loud crash once they closed the door and ran to the source. Shinning their flashlights they saw McGee fallen on the ground over three cameras.

"Tim." Jenny sighed and he stood up carrying the cameras again.

"Good news. I finally got the cameras up and working again. We should be able to see the killer!" He exclaimed and they all sighed in relief. After watching the tape with McGee, Ziva, Tony, Jenny and Gibbs present Gibbs smiled knowingly. He had known it all along. And he was especially reinforced when Ziva told them what she had found talking gossip with the parents.

"Keep an eye on them, the Director and I have some unfinished business." He said glancing at Jenny she smiled and they took two flashlights into their makeshift interrogation room.

"Thank God I was beginning to think you forgot about me!" Berte exclaimed angrily. They just looked at him with a stone cold expression.

"We know you didn't do it Berte and we know who did. But you need to tell us what she said to you three." Jenny said and Berte smiled and sighed in relief.

"Oh good! Okay well she told us that if we told anyone she would chop us up into little pieces! Jessica literally threw up after she told us that. Obviously she told them to blame me. I didn't get the memo." He said bitterly. Gibbs smirked and pulled him by the arm out of the room. With the recorder still going they pulled in the other two getting their statements then finally last but not least pulling in Helen. She still didn't know what was going on.

"So did Berte confess? I told you he did it!" She stated proudly.

"Actually he's a pretty horrible liar. You should have told him to play along instead of keeping him out of the plan. Oh and we know you disabled the camera. That comes in pretty handy when you're an electrician." Jenny said smugly and the color drained from Helen's face.

"Why'd you do it Helen?" Gibbs asked getting up in her personal space. "Jealousy? If you couldn't have him then nobody else could either? We know about your past romance with him." At that she froze the color drained completely from her face.

"I want a lawyer." She said and they both chuckled.

"Yeah you're gonna need one." Gibbs said before handcuffing her. Thank goodness they didn't even need Abby for this case. If they did they could have been here all night.

"So where's the knife Helen?" Jenny asked but Helen didn't say a word. "Your right you should stay silent. Don't worry we'll find it. Couldn't have left the building right?" She asked smugly as Gibbs pushed her out the door. Though the lights were still out the team led her to the car. While the team was packing up and braving elements Jenny walked with a flashlight to the children's room. She had to tell Zack why his dad wouldn't be taking him home tonight.

After they got the situation with Zack settled and all the parents had left with their kids Jenny was emotionally drained. The team had just found the knife. They tagged it and bagged it. Turns out it was stuffed under a loose floor board. Next they called the crime scene clean up team and were about to leave. Jenny grabbed Lauren's backpack, gave Lauren her raincoat and put hers on. The rest of the team was also getting ready to brave the steady rain. Though the lights were still out they had stolen a few of the flashlights and were ready to run out and leave. In the hours between putting the murderer in custody and now Jenny had had a lot of time to think about her situation. Zack no longer had a father but one little girl might be able to gain one. It had leant some perspective. Before she could do anything she needed to have a heart to heart with Gibbs. Something she didn't feel particularly comfortable doing especially after their last one which had ended up with Jenny more confused than before. One question kept floating around in her mind. Did Gibbs _want_ to be in Lauren's life or was he doing it for Jenny knowing she was more emotionally unstable than usual?

But her talk could wait until tomorrow. They were all exhausted and Lauren was practically asleep in Jenny's arms. They said their goodbye's and headed out for the night. As she drove home Jenny realized that case had hit home with her. A little boy was left without a father for the rest of her life. Lauren didn't have to have that life if Gibbs wanted to be there for her. But let's be honest, did Jenny really want Gibbs there with Lauren? Could she stand to have him there so close yet so far? She didn't know if she could handle that. Jenny was starting to regret asking Gibbs to be a part of Lauren's life because of her own selfish reasons.

The next day Jenny had to take Lauren to work. They arrived at 0800 that morning. Immediately Lauren bounded up to the team and greeted them. "Hi Ziva!" She exclaimed happily. Lauren was oblivious to the situation yesterday along with the other children and Jenny wanted to keep it that way.

"Good morning Lauren. You are happy today." Ziva said as she flicked off her desk lamp. The morning light was enough without a lamp. The power had been restored to DC after that brief black out last night.

"I'm really happy! I get to be with all you guys! I didn't want mommy to go to work until her bump was gone but mommy said she had to go to work." She said happily and Ziva stared at her quizzically along with Tim and Tony. Gibbs discretely ignored the comment. Then they all noticed the faded purple, yellowish bruise on her forehead.

"What happened?" Ziva asked and Jenny forced down a blush. She was embarrassed that everyone was staring at her.

"When the power was out a few days ago I hit my head in the dark." She said sheepishly. Before anyone could respond Lauren had moved onto greeting Tony.

"Hi Tony!"

"Hey kid! How's it going?"

"Good. I drew you a picture yesterday but I left it at daycare." She said sadly but then she smiled again and moved to McGee.

"Hi Tim! I drew you a picture too! It's in my backpack." She said taking off her backpack and setting it on the ground digging out the picture. Tony looked offended and Ziva chuckled.

"Guess we know who Lauren likes more." Ziva said quietly so only Tony and Jenny could hear. Tony narrowed his eyes at Ziva and she just raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks Lauren it's really nice." He said examining it. "Is that me?" He asked and she nodded happily then zipped up her backpack and moved onto Gibbs.

"Hi Gibbs! We should play Uno again!" She exclaimed then motioned for him to lean in. Curiously he did and she whispered in his ear. "I know you didn't say Uno." She said and walked away happily. He smiled then chuckled and looked up at Jenny. She gave him a questionable look before walking up to her office with Lauren right in front of her. At the end of the day everyone had gone out for drinks when Gibbs walked into Jenny's office. She snapped her head up from her paperwork and put her finger silently to her lips. Gibbs nodded and glanced at the peacefully sleeping Lauren on the couch hugging onto a teddy bear.

"Can I talk to you?" He whispered and she nodded silently getting up and shutting the office door behind her.

"Yes?" She asked in her normal voice. Cynthia had long left the building so they were the only ones in the 'waiting room' of sorts.

"I want to talk you about that conversation we had about Lauren's father." He said and Jenny stiffened but nodded. She knew this was coming. "I know I wasn't really straight forward. That's because I didn't know if I could be around your little girl again after Kelly. But I would like more than anything to be there if Lauren ever needs me." He said and Jenny didn't know if she should sigh in relief or be more worried. Could she be around Gibbs all the time like that? As of late she's been relieved for the weekend so she doesn't have to see Gibbs. The memories and regrets are too much to bear. Not to mention the desire. But she forced a smile and nodded.

"Thank you Jethro." She said smiling and he smiled back.

"You know Lauren is a lot like you." He said examining her. She smiled lightly.

"I know, I see it every day." She said looking at his face. He could tell something was bothering her and it had been since he saw her at Lauren's daycare.

"Jenny, are you okay?" Gibbs asked and immediately he noticed her Director's mask go up.

"Yeah no I'm fine." She reassured him nodding her head and folding her arms over her chest. He didn't buy it but decided not to push it.

"Well I should be going." He said.

"So should I." She said and he followed her back into the office where she packed up her things silently then packed up Lauren's backpack. Then she knelt down next to Lauren and gently ran her fingers through her daughter's hair then her hand moved softly to her back. Lauren's eyes fluttered open and she yawned. "Time to go home." Jenny said softly and Lauren sleepily got up holding onto her teddy bear. Smiling Jenny took the purple backpack and her purse. They walked to the door and when Lauren saw Gibbs she smiled sleepily at him. They all walked to the parking garage together and finally went their separate ways without another word. At the moment everything was okay with Jenny and Gibbs. But was it really? There was still some underlying tension that neither wanted to face. Deep down Gibbs was still angry that she hadn't told him and deep down Jenny was having an internal battle with herself about many things: Gibbs and that paternity test being a few.

The next morning they got to sleep in. It was Saturday and Jenny was more than happy to not be at work. She was exhausted. Jenny was in a peaceful sleep when she felt herself being jostled. Her bed was bouncing up and down and somebody was sitting on top of her. Groggily she moaned and the body flopped down completely laying on her back. Jenny opened her sleepy eyes to see a lock of red hair obscuring her view. Rolling over on her back the little girl flopped on the bed next to her giggling. Jenny smiled and grabbed her and started tickling her. Jenny laughed as she heard her daughter's shrieks of laughter. Stopping, she heard Lauren's heavy breathing and then looked over at her. "What time is it sweetheart? I wanted to sleep in!" She exclaimed and Lauren sat up and rested her head on Jenny's stomach. Jenny played with her hair smiling and waiting for an answer.

"Mommy, it's eleven o'clock!" She exclaimed giggling and it warmed Jenny's heart to feel her daughter's laughter reverberate through her body.

"Okay then I guess it's time to get up. How long have you been up kiddo?" Jenny asked stroking her daughter's hair.

"I just got up too!" She exclaimed and Jenny laughed. Once they were dressed and had eaten brunch Jenny decided they should get some clothes and decorations for Lauren's room. So they headed over to the mall. Maybe she could get some new perfume too. What Tracy said had really affected her for some reason.

**Okay so this chapter sums everything up and marks the start of the second part of the story. Review please? **


	20. Chapter 20

Gibbs kept thinking about what Ducky had said to him. _I think you need to do some reflecting on your time with Jenny. There are some things that might surprise you. _What does that mean? Ducky also said something that got his thoughts stirring: _Yes I know all of this new information on Jennifer is quite overwhelming and I can see that you are mad at her for not telling you. But Jethro you need to understand that she is troubled. I don't know what exactly is going on in her head but Lauren finally being known to the team had put a great weight on her conscience. _Was Ducky trying to tell him that he was being selfish? Not being able to make sense of the Doctor's discreet underlying message he decided to think on all his memories of Jenny like he had suggested. He thought about anything and everything. It started out as simple memories he recalled in the bull pen with Burley and Decker.

_Burley was arguing with Jenny about something. He didn't care and he didn't want to know. So he effectively shut him up by giving the young agent a head slap. Jenny snickered as Stan rubbed the back of his head. "Hey boss how come you never give Shepard any head slaps?" He asked pointing to Jenny. She just glared at Gibbs and raised an eyebrow as if eliciting a challenge. _

"_Shepard doesn't need them." He said and it was Decker's turn to laugh. _

"_The hell she doesn't!" Burley exclaimed pulling Jenny close giving her a soft head slap. Furious that he messed up her hair she punched his arm remarkably hard. He yelped and jumped back. _

"_The hell she doesn't." Decker muttered and went back to the never ending paperwork. _

Other memories floated around in his mind like that but then he realized Ducky wanted him to focus on the ones closer to before she left him. So he did. Why didn't Jenny trust him enough to tell him about Lauren? If she was his or not. Once his irrational anger subsided he realized something he should have the second she revealed to him she had been raped. Jenny was ashamed. She didn't want him knowing what had happened to her. After thinking about what Ducky had said once more: _Lauren finally being known to the team has but a great weight on her conscience, _he concluded that Jenny was scared as well as ashamed. She was scared at what the team would think of her. And still he didn't know all of the facts. Like how Lauren had managed to not be known for so long. But right now the thing that mattered was apologizing to Jenny again. He was being selfish. He didn't realize how much worse it had been for Jenny than it had been for him. She had probably been terrified of what he would think of Lauren. Most likely she was worried because of Kelly. Maybe he could finally set things right with Jenny after seven years.

Meanwhile Jenny and Lauren had picked out a few outfits after a painstakingly long shopping spree. Lauren was getting frustrated that her mom was getting tired and didn't have the right style for her. As Jenny walked around the store pointing to things for Lauren she noticed her getting very frustrated. Carefully Jenny picked out an outfit she thought Lauren would like seeing her current choices and walked up to her. "Hey honey, do you like this one?" Jenny asked holding the outfit up. Lauren looked at it once and curled her lip in disgust.

"No I don't like it mommy." She said coldly and Jenny raised her eyebrows refraining from snapping at her daughter's fickle, closed mind. Lauren turned away abruptly to look at more clothes but then turned back roughly, brushing a shirt off its rack. "Aunt Heather knows what I like." Lauren said and turned on her heel, briskly walked to another part of the store. That had stung. Hanging up the fallen shirt quietly she fought back tears as she also hung up the discarded outfit. She sank down in a plush chair and rubbed her forehead tiredly. Obviously Lauren hadn't forgiven her mother quite yet for leaving her in California though Jenny was sure she had understood. Then again for the little amount of things she actually knew about her daughter Lauren could have just been acting to please her. Jenny decided to let Lauren pick out the rest of the clothes, of course her mother had to approve them. After they had picked up five outfits, enough to last her a while, they bought them and headed out of the store. Jenny wanted to make sure Lauren was okay.

"Are you hungry? We could get some cinnamon buns?" Jenny asked trying to find Lauren's gaze but she was content on staring at the floor as they walked through the mall. All she was trying to do was cheer Lauren up a little but it didn't seem to work.

"Whenever me and Aunty Heather go shopping she lets me get pizza… but I like cinnamon buns too." She said quietly and Jenny smiled slightly then led Lauren to the stand. They ordered one and split it. It was way too sugary for Jenny so she let Lauren have most of it. Figuring she would be on a sugar high for the rest of the day Jenny thought of ways for Lauren to blow off some steam. Jenny looked up and saw goo all over her face. Sneering, Jenny grabbed a napkin and starting wiping off the sticky sugar. Lauren giggled but let Jenny wipe the rest of it off.

"Are you done?" Jenny asked and Lauren nodded. She threw away the plate and came back to sit across from Lauren. "So do you and your cousins do any fun sports?" Jenny asked resting her chin in her palm. Lauren thought for a moment biting her lip.

"Anna likes soccer but I don't like it. Jacob and me play catch a lot! But he's not very good 'cuz he's really little. Me and Anna swim too." Lauren said and Jenny smiled. Despite being away from her mother so long Lauren liked softball just like her mother.

"Sweetheart do you want to play catch when we get home or set up your room?" Jenny asked and Lauren broke out into a grin.

"You'd really play catch with me mommy?!" Lauren asked enthusiastically and Jenny nodded chuckling. Despite the little episode while shopping Lauren was back to her energetic, happy self. Back at home Lauren sprinted to her room and changed into shorts and a tee shirt, better suited for playing catch. And Jenny rummaged around in her attic for her old softball glove coughing as she inhaled a cloud of dust. Finally she found the now stiff glove and smiled, it brought back memories. Jenny changed into yoga pants and a tee shirt and they headed to the park with a very soft ball used for t-ball. Jenny stood a few feet away and tossed the ball lightly to Lauren. The ball bounced in and out of her glove but she ran to get it anyway and threw it back to Jenny who caught it just before it hit the ground at her feet. Absentmindedly Jenny wondered where Lauren inherited the gene to be left handed, as Lauren finally caught the ball in her glove which was placed on her right hand. Throwing the ball back and forth brought back memories of college where she played on the softball team. Smiling to herself she caught one of Lauren's wild throws and tossed it back. Suddenly her phone buzzed in her pocket and she told Lauren to hold on a second while she answered. In a huff Lauren sat down on the grass and started pulling up green strands, lip pouted. "Shepard." Jenny answered keeping a wary eye on Lauren.

"Hey Die-rec-tor." Gibbs's voice rang in her ear as he said her title sarcastically. Spending time with her daughter had put her conflicted thoughts about Gibbs to the back of her mind but now they were quickly floating to the surface. She rolled her eyes.

"What Gibbs?" She asked holding a hand over her other ear as the wind picked up.

"Can we talk, over lunch maybe?" He asked and surprised by his question raised her eyebrows and stumbled to find the right words.

"Are you asking me on a date Jethro?" Jenny asked teasingly and she could see him blushing slightly not that he would ever admit it but she knew.

"No Jen it's not a date, just need to talk about a few things." He said and she was getting worried now. What could he possibly have to talk about?

"Such as…?" She asked not answering his offer. She could feel him smirking.

"I'll take that as a yes. Tomorrow, noon meet me at that coffee shop we always go to." He said and Jenny sighed.

"Fine." She said reluctant to talk to him. She didn't particularly want to spill her guts to him yet with all her raging hormones and her motherly instincts kicking into high gear as of late she knew eventually she would break down. She hung up on him.

Later that night Jenny set up a babysitter for Lauren. Right now Jenny didn't know if she wanted to take Lauren back to day care or not. As Jenny was tucking Lauren into bed she sat up and looked curiously at her mother. "Mommy what's wrong?" She asked clutching onto her teddy bear. Jenny's expression loosened and she looked at Lauren.

"Nothing. Tomorrow I'm going to have a really nice lady take care of you while I go out to lunch. Then I'll be back." She said ushering Lauren to lay back down into bed. She did and Jenny pulled the covers up to the little girls chin and moving a stray red curl out of her face.

"Okay." The six year old said and Jenny smiled. She leaned down and kissed Lauren on the cheek.

"I love you sweetheart." Jenny said ruffling her hair then pointing to the bear Lauren couldn't sleep without. "What's its name?" Lauren looked down at the bear then back up at Jenny.

"His name is Mr. Harry Shepard." She said holding him close. Jenny chuckled.

"Why is his name Mr. Harry Shepard?" She asked curiously.

"Because that's what my daddy would be named." She said proudly. Jenny was thrown way off by this comment. Lauren had never dwelled on the fact she doesn't have a dad before. The only thing she could get out was:

"When did you name him this?"

"Before I came to live with you. He didn't have a name before because I had Aunt Heather and Uncle Ben but I only have one mommy. With Mr. Harry we can all be a family." Lauren said happily before snuggling down to go to sleep. Jenny was shocked as she left the room and turned out the light. Lauren needs a father. Jenny was also afraid that her aunt, uncle and cousins were more family to her than her own mother was. It scared her but she would never admit it.

The next morning Jenny got Lauren up and ready. By eleven thirty the babysitter was there. Jenny spent a lot of time explaining things. Eventually the young woman told Jenny she knew how to take care of kids. Jenny nodded and told the woman it was her first time then left before she embarrassed herself more. She arrived at the coffee shop five after twelve. Gibbs was already there and sipping on a cup of coffee in the corner. She ordered one for herself then sat down next to him the hot cup warming her hands. "How's it going with Lauren?" He asked seeing her tired expression. She rubbed a thumb methodically across the logo on the coffee cup and looked up at him.

"It's going fine." He nodded slowly. "What do you want to talk about Jethro?" She asked finally.

"You." He said simply and she raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. She knew it was coming.

"Why? Have I really pissed someone off lately?" He gave her his signature half smile and took a sip of his coffee.

"Not that I know of, but you got me pretty worried." He stated bobbing his head slightly waiting for a response. She stared at him blankly for a moment then she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him curiously. Then suddenly her director's mask was up.

"I am perfectly fine. There's nothing you need to worry about." Gibbs shook his head in frustration.

"Jenny, don't do that. Be yourself for once and not the Director. I know something is bothering you." He stated pleading her to talk. She sighed.

"It's just all new to me; to have a little six year old girl running around the house. It's a little stressful." All he did was point to her right eye before taking a slow sip of coffee. "Gibbs it's nothing I can't handle." She said forcefully indicating that they were done talking about it. But Gibbs wasn't.

"Fine if you don't want to talk about it then don't. But I'm always here for you Jen whenever you need me." He said seriously as he stared into her eyes. Getting lost in his vibrant blue eyes was easier than she thought possible. But she couldn't do it. Gibbs knew she had trouble opening up to people but he was determined to win her sparingly distributed trust. She swallowed and sat up straighter, composing herself.

"Thank you Jethro." She said quietly before taking a sip of her coffee. He smiled at her appreciatively.

"So what now Madame Director?" He asked jokingly. She looked up at him lightly and smiled.

**Hope you like this chapter****. With school starting on Tuesday I might not have very many chances to update so bear with me. **


	21. Chapter 21

Shrugging, she took another sip of her rapidly cooling coffee. He desperately needed a chance to talk to her but right now didn't seem to be the right time. There was so much that they needed to talk about that he didn't know how to begin. Neither particularly wanted to dig up past demons but knew at some point they would have to start opening up or their relationship would be doomed just like it was in Paris. Taking a deep breath Gibbs decided to take the first step, as all Jenny was doing was staring intently into her coffee. "Jenny we need to talk." He said rubbing his thumb over the smooth surface of the coffee cup. She looked up at him with a blank expression. She must have known this was coming too. The difference was that she didn't seem as keen as him to talk. Jenny sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"About what Jethro?" She asked tiredly but when she spoke again her voice was more accepting. "What could we possibly have to talk about anymore?" She pleaded looking desperately into his eyes. He thought for a moment with his lips set firmly.

"Why won't you let me in?" He asked after a deafening silence. She looked shocked for a moment at what he said but then it was gone.

"What?" She asked in disbelief. He looked at her with a cross between curiosity and anticipation. When he didn't speak she shook her head and rolled her eyes. After staring him down for a good minute she sighed and set her hands down on the table. "Maybe it's because I don't think I can talk to you without making myself look desperate and needy Jethro, did you ever think of that?" She asked as she stood up and slid out of the booth grabbing her coffee and leaving. He sighed and shook his head lightly, watching her as she strode purposefully out of the door and to her car. He honestly thought that sitting down and having a real conversation with her would prove that he was ready to listen and participate. But she was being more stubborn and closed off than he thought. He knew she had always been a private person but this was seriously concerning him. He wondered why she was holding back so much from him.

After some thinking he realized why she felt the way she did. It started just before they worked in Serbia together. They had grown close, working together every day; stolen glances and flirtatious teasing. And they always had each other's back in the field. But when it came down to it they barely knew anything about each other. In Serbia, the long nights and endless gun fights they had learned each other's ins and outs. What kind of cereal they liked, which side of the bed they slept on, their routines and daily exercises were memorized. They worked flawlessly as a team, efficient and effective. However their lives before they knew each other were a complete mystery.

When they got to Paris Jenny felt comfortable enough to open up to him. She shared her general thoughts and feelings to him and sometimes he did the same, emphasis on the _sometimes_. He usually only spoke when spoken to but when they had a conversation going it was fun and flirtatious. Sometime in between Serbia and Paris they had kissed. And somewhere in between Serbia and Paris they had started something. Call it what you like, a relationship, an affair, friends with benefits. Then the second night at a stakeout in Marseille was the first time that they "did it". And from there you could, with definite certainty, call what they had an affair, that spread hallway across Europe. She had begun to talk to him about her past when things came up. But his lips were tightly sealed. That was the beginning of the end. When he would wake up in a cold sweat and the blankets tangled in his legs she would try and comfort him, ask him what was wrong, but he would just push her away. After that things were tense between them. He would say something with a nasty undertone and then he would say or do something almost wearily, like it was her fault he was acting so cross. She couldn't deal with it anymore: the lies, the secrets and the closed lipped defiance. So eventually she left him with nothing but a Dear John. In her letter she had told him how she felt like she was the only one to talk about her life, like he didn't trust her with his. She had tried to coax it out of him a few times, because she knew relationships weren't built on secrets.

He was angry at himself. He shouldn't have shut her out like that. And now he lost his chance with her. He thought that maybe now with Lauren he would get his second chance to at least be in her life but she didn't even seem to want that, though she said it. It crossed his mind that maybe she was saying all these things for Lauren's benefit. Running a hand tiredly down his face he knew if he really wanted to be in Jenny's life, and he did, that he would have to try a hell of a lot harder.

. . .

Figuring she had a few hours to kill before the baby sitter expected her back from lunch she decided to get some things sorted out with the court. Pulling out her phone she dialed Heather's number. She answered after a few rings just as Jenny was stopping at a red light. "Hello?" Heather asked.

"Hey Heather it's me." She said distractedly as she pulled out her address book and tried to find out where the social services' building was again.

"Hey, everything alright?" She asked concerned as the light turned green and she stepped on the gas while holding the phone in one hand and opening her address book with the other.

"Yeah everything's fine. I'm going to go talk with child services today and get an attorney for my case. I was just wondering whether you still have all the previous reports with the other judges I asked you to keep." Jenny said finding the address and almost bumping the car in front of her. Heather hesitated for a moment, thinking if she did or not.

"Yeah I kept them. They're in a box in my attic. I'll fax them to you." Heather said and Jenny smiled.

"Thanks Heather, I'll talk to you later." She said and Heather chuckled.

"No problem, love you."

"Love you too, bye." She said and hung up. Closing her phone she set it down in the cup holder next to her while flipping through the address book. But she didn't see the oncoming car as she ran the red light. And in less than the time it takes to blink your eye her car was being T-boned. With a surprised shout she was jerked to the side. Her head connected with the steering wheel and the whole world went black.

. . .

The babysitter was getting concerned. Miss Shepard was supposed to be home an hour ago. Deciding to call Lauren's mother she pulled out her phone but when she didn't get an answer she started to get worried. Realizing Miss Shepard had given her another number to call in case for some reason she wasn't available she pulled out that number and dialed it. After a few rings a man picked up. "Hello?" The gruff voice asked. She sighed in relief and walked out of the room where Lauren was watching television so she wouldn't worry the little girl.

"Hello Mr. Gibbs its Amanda, Lauren's babysitter. Miss Shepard hasn't come home yet and I was wondering if you could get ahold of her." The teenager asked and Gibbs furrowed his brow. Didn't Jenny leave the coffee shop well over an hour ago?

"I'll call her and get back to you." He said not waiting for her to answer before hanging up. He tried Jenny's cell three times before getting angry. The fourth time he called he left her an angry voicemail. "What happened to rule three Director? Your daughter needs you!" He spat before slamming the phone closed and taking a deep breath. He had held himself up in the elevator and opening his phone back up he dialed the babysitter's number.

"Hello?" She answered.

"I can't get ahold of Jenny. I'll be there in ten minutes." He said before hanging up again completely frustrated. Sure she was mad at him but it didn't mean she had to go an abandon her child! When he got to the Shepard household he walked right in surprising the babysitter who jumped slightly. But Lauren's face just lit up and she ran to Gibbs, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He gave her his signature half smiled and patted her back. Pulling a twenty out of his pocket he handed it to the babysitter. "You can go." He instructed and swallowing nervously she gathered her things and left giving Lauren a quick goodbye.

"Where's mommy?" Lauren asked prancing around the room. He thought about how to answer that and hesitated for a moment.

"She couldn't make it home on time so she asked me to come over." He said and Lauren nodded happily.

"That's okay I'm kinda mad at Mommy and I like you Gibbs." She said before running up the stairs. Confused he walked up after her.

"Why are you mad at your mom?" He asked following the sound of her voice to a room upstairs. When he entered he was honestly surprised at what he saw. It was a little sitting room with bookshelves and arm chairs and a baby grand piano in the corner. He didn't know she played. Lauren was climbing up on the bench when he got there.

"Because she doesn't know me like Aunt Heather knows me. And plus she leaves me in California with her all year." Lauren said her face scrunched up in disgust. Then it was gone and she started plucking around on the keys of the piano. It was perfectly in tune. He raised an eyebrow skeptically at her.

"But you like your aunt Heather right?" He asked sitting down next to her. She shrugged.

"Yeah of course I love my Aunt Heather but I mean…she's not my mommy." Lauren shrugged again and started playing the piano hitting each key three times starting at middle C and working her way up.

"Well you know that your mom is trying to keep you. She doesn't want to give you up again." He said trying to find her gaze.

"Yeah." She shrugged again and continued to play. Gibbs sighed and set his fingers on the piano deciding to play with her until Jenny got home. Then he would have a stern talking with her about storming off and leaving her child alone with a frightened babysitter. She has obligations to come home now and take care of a child; she can't just go gallivanting off whenever she wants anymore.

"Do you know how to play heart and soul?" Gibbs asked her and she nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Yeah mommy taught me how to play! We used to play it all the time but then I didn't see mommy for like a year and a half so I haven't played in while. And Aunt Heather and Uncle Ben don't have a piano. And Anna and Jacob don't know how to play." She said setting her fingers down to play the bottom part of heart and soul. "You ready?" She asked and giving her a half smile he nodded and positioned his hand. "Okay one, two, three, go!" She announced and started playing. Though she wasn't that great it was still fun to spend time with the girl who might possibly be her daughter.

**I'm really sorry for not updating in like a month! The first few weeks of school have been absolutely crazy and every day I have something going on. After September I'll be able to update more frequently. Oh and I've started the countdown: seven days until the NCIS season kicks off****, or six if you're reading this on 9/18**


	22. Chapter 22

Gibbs was starting to get genuinely worried. And it took a lot to worry Leroy Jethro Gibbs. They had stopped playing the piano a moment ago and Gibbs ruffled the little girl's hair and she giggled. "I'll be right back." He announced as she waved goodbye to him. Walking out of the room he pulled his phone out and dialed McGee's number as he walked down the hall.

"McGee." He answered from his desk phone and immediately Gibbs rattled off a request.

"McGee, trace the Director's cell." He ordered and Gibbs heard nothing for a moment before McGee's fingers were typing a mile a minute on the keyboard.

"Boss is there something wrong? Is Lauren okay because after that incident at the daycare…" Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"McGee!" He snapped.

"Sorry boss, I just located her cell, she's at Bethesda. Is everything okay? Do you want us to go there?" Tim asked and Gibbs was silent for a moment, just taking in the information and refusing to believe that something bad had happened to Jenny.

"No everything's fine." He said before hanging up. It probably was anyway. Briskly, Gibbs walked back into the piano room and smiled at Lauren who smiled back.

"Hi Gibbs! You wanna play with my dolls?" She asked innocently and as much as the big bad federal agent wanted to say yes he had to get to Bethesda and drop Lauren off with Abby.

"Later." He promised and she pouted, moaning. He walked over to her and held his hand out for her. She took it reluctantly and they walked to the stairs and to the front door together. "Do you want to go see Abby?" Gibbs asked looking down at her. Lauren grinned and jumped up and down.

"Yeah! I wanna see Abby!" She exclaimed and Gibbs chuckled.

"Okay why don't you go get your shoes on then." He said and she ran to the nearby closet to fetch them. Gibbs took the time to think. So much had happened in the last two weeks it was taking a while to digest. Tony and Ziva were captured. He found out Jenny has a kid that might or might not be his. This in fact is still irking him. Even if Lauren _isn't_ his shouldn't Jenny have told him about her when she found out she was pregnant? He was actually kind of happy that that storm came and forced him to stay overnight at her place though. It had been too long since he had spent that much time with Jenny without arguing with her. And he couldn't imagine what was going through her head at the daycare when that man got murdered just a few rooms away from her daughter. He also got the feeling there was something bothering Jenny but he had no idea what it was or why she wasn't telling him. Well he was determined to get to the bottom of things. Lauren came running back with her shoes on and Gibbs smiled down at her. "Ready to go?" He asked and she nodded enthusiastically. As he exited the house he wondered innocently if he was prepared or willing to be a father again if the opportunity presented itself.

. . .

At NCIS Abby was overjoyed to be taking in Lauren for the day. Gibbs thanked her quickly, kissed the side of her head and left. He drove to the hospital, probably breaking a few traffic laws, and when he got there he walked straight to the nurse's station and without so much as a hello he asked about Jenny. "Is there somebody here named Jenny Shepard?" The woman behind the desk didn't even seem fazed by his rudeness. She scrolled down on her computer and then stopped at a name.

"Ah yes, we do have a Jennifer Shepard admitted into the hospital but you can't see her right now she just got out of surgery." The woman said kindly but Gibbs's heart just started pounding.

"Surgery?!" He exclaimed squeezing the desk so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Uh yes sir, she just got out of surgery. Who are you?" She asked and he flashed the woman his badge.

"Special agent Gibbs." He said quickly and the woman raised an eyebrow.

"Jethro Gibbs?" She inquired and he furrowed his brow. She saw the confusion on his face and took pity on him. "I'm so sorry somebody didn't notify you Mr. Gibbs I told a young nurse specifically to…" She trailed off. "Sorry I'm rambling. Before we wheeled her into surgery we asked if there was anyone she'd like us to call and she said you." The woman said giving him a weak smile. He ran a hand through his hair trying to digest all of this. "On her file it has you listed as her next of kin," The woman said shaking her head in disgust. "I am going to have a stern talking to with that nurse! She needs to contact the next of kin when somebody gets hurt! That was her _only_ job!" The woman explained but Gibbs stopped her.

"Wait, I'm listed as her next of kin?" He asked and the older woman nodded. He didn't know what to think. He should be happy, he guessed, because she trusted him enough to have her back. "When can I go see her?" He asked and the woman checked her charts again.

"She should be awake in an hour, though you're welcome to wait in her room if you'd like." She said and he nodded. "She's in room 187." She said and he thanked her before walking down the corridors and dialing Ducky's number. He answered after a few rings.

"Ah Jethro, another case?" The Scotsman asked and Gibbs shook his head, running a hand down his face as he tried to find her room.

"It's Jenny." He said and he heard Ducky go completely silent.

"What's happened?" He asked, worry evident in his voice. With all that's happened in the last few weeks he didn't think they could take much more.

"She was in a car accident." He said finally finding her room but not going in yet. Instead he leaned back against the wall to talk to Ducky.

"Goodness!" He exclaimed. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know yet. She just got out of surgery." He said and Ducky sighed.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked.

"Tell Cynthia and Abby. Make sure you don't tell Lauren just yet. I'll see you in a few." He said not waiting for an answer before hanging up. Taking a deep breath he turned the knob on her door and opened it. What he saw practically broke his heart. She looked so pale and fragile and small. Her face was littered with cuts and bruises but she looked peaceful. Slowly he walked to her bedside and pulled up a chair so he could sit next to her. Her hair was splayed wildly across the pillow and a few strands were in her face. With a gentle hand he brushed the red hair out of her eyes and sighed. He shouldn't have gotten mad at her for not coming home. She was more responsible than that and he should have realized something was wrong earlier. Filled with guilt he sat there watching the heart monitor beep and her chest rise and fall heavily.

. . .

Back at NCIS Ducky had just walked into Abby's lab. They were making slime on her metal table. It was green and oozing everywhere. Ducky smiled fondly then looked at the little red head, remembering why he was there and frowned. "Hey Ducky, come to join the party?" Abby asked looking up at him. Lauren giggled as she squished the slime in her fists.

"Can I talk to you Abigail?" He asked and Abby furrowed her brow, immediately realizing something was wrong.

"Stay here kiddo." Abby said ruffling the girl's hair and followed Ducky into the adjoining room with the sliding doors. As they slid closed behind them Abby crossed her arms over her chest with a worried look. "What happened?" She asked hesitantly.

"It's Jenny. She was in a car accident." Ducky said sadly and Abby gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Oh my God!" She gasped and Ducky nodded solemnly.

"Gibbs wants us at the hospital. We should tell the others too. Why don't we keep the details from Lauren though?" He asked and Abby nodded, wide eyed.

"She's going to be okay right?" Abby asked hugging herself. Ducky sighed.

"I'm sure she's going to be fine." He said and with that they walked back to tell Lauren. Seeing the hesitant looks on the two adults faces Lauren frowned and stopped playing with the slime that had somehow gotten all up her arms.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Abby spoke up first.

"It's your mom sweetheart." She said and Lauren's expression turned blank.

"She's sending me back to live with aunt Heather isn't she?" Lauren asked dropping her hands to her sides. "She doesn't want me anymore." She said and appalled by her way of thinking Ducky stepped in.

"No Lauren, don't ever think that!" Ducky exclaimed walking up to the little girl who shrunk back. "Your mother loves you very much!" He said and Lauren looked down and nodded.

"She was in an accident." Abby said hoarsely. Lauren furrowed her brow and her mouth opened slightly.

"She got hurt?" Lauren asked and Abby nodded. "Is she gonna be okay?" Lauren asked hesitantly, fiddling with the goo on her fingers.

"We don't know yet. But we're going to take you to the hospital so you can see her." Ducky said and Lauren nodded solemnly, looking down at the floor.

**Sorry for the late update. Hope you like it and review please! I like lots of feedback, positive or negative, though if you do leave a negative comment try to help me improve my writing not just criticize it. **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Wow, I can't believe it! 50 followers and 63 reviews! Thank you guys so much for your support! I always like feedback and I hope you like the story so far! **

He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb soothingly over her hand and sighed. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there staring at her calm face anxiously but suddenly she groaned softly. His heart fluttered and he shifted in his seat letting go of her hand. "Jenny?" He asked her softly.

"Jethro?" She mumbled as she cracked her eyes open but quickly shut them again. "God Jethro the lights, turn them down." She groaned and he smirked, tempted to brush her bangs out of her eyes but didn't. Getting up he flicked one of the switches off and she slowly opened her eyes, looking around as he sat down beside her again.

"You okay?" He asked softly. She squirmed in the no doubt uncomfortable bed and tried sitting up but quickly he held her down. "Jenny, stop." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine." She insisted trying to sit up again before a searing pain ripped through her head like a bolt of lightning. Grimacing she fought back a shout and laid back down. Worried, Gibbs eyed her and furrowed his brow.

"Doc said you probably have a concussion." He explained as she opened her eyes again. Looking around the hospital room she saw that they were the only two in the room. He could practically _see_ the last few hours rushing through her mind.

"Lauren!" She suddenly exclaimed. "Is she alright? How long have I been out?" She asked looking at him with wide eyes.

"Only a few hours." He shrugged and she groaned, bringing her hands up to cover her face. "I came over after the babysitter called. She's with Abby now." He said and Jenny sighed shaking her head. "Didn't know you listed me as the emergency contact. Don't you usually tell the person beforehand?" He asked sarcastically and she glared at him.

"I was going to tell you at the coffee shop! I didn't think anything would happen I was only going to be gone for a few hours!" She exclaimed as loud as she could with her dry mouth. It felt like her throat had been caked with sand. Before Gibbs could ask more about the accident and what she was doing to get her car t-boned so badly three people walked into the room that caught their attention. And though Abby was the first in and looking rather worried she was holding a little girl's hand that to Jenny was far more important. Lauren's hair was down in her natural waves and was shielding her face from the rest of the room. Her left thumb was in her mouth and her other hand was holding the stuffed bear she loved so much, close to her chest. Immediately Jenny started smiling. "Hey there baby girl!" She exclaimed softly as Abby let go of the girl's hand. Even though Gibbs had seen Jenny as a mother for going on two weeks now he was still amazed at the instantaneous transition from pissed, to loving mother. Slowly Lauren walked over to the bed with her head still down. "Come here sweetheart, don't worry I'm fine, see?" She asked holding her arms out. Lauren looked up and eyed her mom cautiously. Deciding that she truly was fine Lauren walked over to her with more confidence. Lauren hated seeing her mom hurt. The last time it had happened she had been terrified and she didn't want it to happen _ever_ again. Slowly Lauren climbed up on the bed into Jenny's waiting arms. The little girl straddled her mom, sitting up in bed and wrapped her arms around Jenny's neck, letting the bear fall to the side of the bed. Jenny soothed her and held her close looking at the two people in the doorway smiling contently at her. The older red head turned her attention back to her daughter when she pulled away with tears in her eyes. Jenny frowned and wiped them away with her thumb. "What's wrong honey?" She asked and Lauren sniffled.

"You're not hurt like you were last time right?" She asked clutching onto her mother's hospital gown. Jenny pouted her lips and moved Lauren's hair out of her face.

"No Lauren not like last time. Don't worry about me sweetheart, I'll be fine." She reassured but Lauren didn't look convinced. The three other's in the room were confused though, other time?

"But mommy you've got X's on your head!" Lauren exclaimed and Jenny couldn't help but crack a smile at Lauren's explanation of her stiches.

"Yeah but I'm all fixed up. Nothing bad is gonna happen okay?" She asked staring into her daughter's eyes that _almost_ reflected her own. Lauren nodded and hesitantly stuck her thumb back in her mouth, resting her head on her mother's chest. Jenny held her close as she watched Ducky and Abby go to stand behind Gibbs.

"I just talked to your doctor Jennifer." Ducky said and she nodded, still holding onto Lauren. "She said that if everything goes well you should be out of here by tomorrow." Jenny smiled but Ducky continued sternly. "But I am prescribing lots of bed rest and some quality time with Miss Lauren here!" He exclaimed happily and Jenny smiled, feeling Lauren giggle against her. She looked down and kissed the top of her daughter's head lovingly, letting her lips linger. She closed her eyes momentarily and inhaled deeply. Then pulling away Lauren looked up at her and giggled no doubt from how nervous she had been on the car ride to the hospital. Jenny brushed the little red head's hair out of her face and smiled.

"I don't think you want to go back to day care anyway, right?" She asked scrunching up her face in mock disgust and smiling shyly, Lauren shook her head. Gibbs looked down trying to hide his smirk. After the murder at the day care he didn't expect Jenny to be taking Lauren back any time soon.

"Are you sure you're okay Director?" Abby asked wringing her hands and furrowing her brow in worry as she shifted her weight around anxiously. "I mean we were really worried and if anything happened to you I don't know what I would do." She said shaking her head and Jenny smiled kindly at her.

"Abby, really, I'm fine." She said and the Goth nodded.

"We'll come back later today." Ducky said grabbing onto Abby's arm. Jenny nodded as they walked out of the room. Lauren had gone back to resting on Jenny's chest and she stroked her hair absentmindedly, loving the feeling of Lauren's weight on her. It felt good to be a mom again and she wouldn't give it up for the world. Not now, not ever. The three of them stayed silent for a long time until Jenny felt Lauren's breathing even out and her grip loosed on Jenny's hospital gown.

"She asleep?" Gibbs asked softly. Jenny nodded checking one more time before turning her attention to Gibbs. "She's been really anxious and energetic today." He said and Jenny nodded.

"Yeah I know. This morning we spent two hours running around the house with a blanked tied around her neck like a cape." She said rubbing her back softly. Gibbs's lip curled up slightly and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. "She doesn't want to settle down. Normally she's not like that though." Jenny said furrowing her brow slightly. "I mean yeah she's extremely energetic but lately…" She said trailing off. Looking up at him she bit her lip, deciding if she should tell him or not. Seeing her indecision he tilted his head and raised his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't know Jethro I was talking to Ducky and…well she's been really clingy and…worried about me leaving her…again." She said no longer looking at him but down at Lauren who was sleeping soundlessly. He was curious to hear what she was talking about so he listened quietly. "He said she has some separation anxiety because she's worried that I'm going to abandon her again." She said softly then with more emotion in her voice she looked up at him and exclaimed. "I mean Jethro she's barely seen me her whole life! I'm her mother for God's sake!" Lauren stirred in her arms and immediately she comforted the girl and once she was back into a deep sleep she continued. "But at the same time she's constantly angry with me because of it. I just don't know what to do anymore Jethro." She said looking up at him. He took a deep breath, soaking up all of this information then spoke.

"Just be there for her." He said and she sighed. "Everything'll work out in the end." She almost laughed at that.

"When did you get so philosophical?" She asked fighting a smirk and he smiled, shifting in his seat. Shrugging he looked at her seriously again and she sighed, knowing exactly what he wanted to talk about. "I was distracted okay?" Knowing he wouldn't buy it she continued. "I've been so wrapped up in proving myself to Lauren that I was trying to get all of my custody papers straight and I got distracted." She admitted quietly. He sighed, obviously disapprovingly. Neither said anything for a while and Jenny silently marveled at the fact that without barely saying anything he could get her to confess what was on her mind. Hopefully when her daughter is a teenager she too will have adopted that ability.

They had sat there in silence for a long time before Lauren finally woke up from her little nap. Stretching, she looked around groggily and finally remembered where she was. A drowsy smile broke out on her face and she wrapped her arms around Jenny again, sighing contently. Jenny couldn't help but smile widely and hug her back. "Hey sweetheart, have a nice nap?" She asked and watched as Lauren nodded happily and mumbled something so quiet that Jenny could barely hear it.

"Glad you're okay mommy." Before snuggling down into her again. Jenny smiled and kissed her cheek before whispering back.

"Me too." Gibbs sighed and stood up.

"Well I should be getting back to work." He announced but suddenly Lauren sprang up almost trampling Jenny who fought a groan of pain. Her stiches were screaming at her from the movement. Gibbs noticed but didn't say anything.

"Gibbs!" Lauren shrieked happily, opening her arms to him. He smiled and took her up in his arms. "I thought you left!" She exclaimed excitedly. He smirked and rested her on his hip.

"Nope, stayed the whole time." He said and she smiled.

"Good." She said and then opened her arms to the bed. Jenny raised an eyebrow. Gibbs didn't understand either but then Jenny noticed what was lying next to her head and grabbed it holding it out to Lauren who gratefully took it.

"Who's this?" Gibbs asked pointing to the teddy bear Lauren was hugging.

"This is Mr. Harry Shepard." She explained and Gibbs nodded. "He's my daddy cuz I don't have one like the other kids." She said and if Jenny had been drinking something right then she would have choked on it. Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as she watched Gibbs's expression, feeling a blush creep up her neck. At first his eyes widened in shock but it melted to expressionless as he glanced at Jenny briefly for an explanation. She honestly had none.

"Do you _want_ a dad?" Gibbs asked hesitantly and Lauren shrugged.

"I don't know. If I lived with mommy it would be weird to not have a daddy." She said good naturedly and Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Jenny who was paralyzed with shock at her daughters confessions.

"Well even if you never get an official daddy," Gibbs started looking directly at Lauren to get his point across. "You'll always have me, no matter what. Okay kiddo?" He asked and Lauren nodded, burying her face in Mr. Harry Shepard. He glanced at Jenny who gave him a water smile and mouthed an honest 'thank you'. Jenny had talked to him about being there for Lauren, but she had never expected, or needed, this. But she was thankful. Everything might turn out okay after all. Now all she had to do was get those damn custody papers straight.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hope you like the chapter! Review please! You know me, I always like feedback. Also I know Halloween is coming up (I'm so excited!) and I'll probably do some kind of Halloween one shot with everyone (Jenny included because she's my favorite director) but separate from this fic because as much as I would love to do a Halloween centered chapter with Lauren this takes place during the summer. :P **

Lauren stayed with her mom the entire day. They watched TV and played games that the nurses had found around the hospital for them. Lauren seemed happy to be there and didn't seem mad at her anymore, that Jenny was thankful for. Though she knew that Lauren's anger was justified it didn't mean she liked seeing her only child mad at her. Late that afternoon the doctor had come back in to check on her. "Well Miss Shepard it's good to see that you're active! If you're cleared we could have you out of here by tomorrow." The blonde said happily and Jenny smiled at her.

"Great, thanks." She said with a smile as Lauren played with a set of Legos on the floor. As the Doctor started talking to her about all the bed rest she'll need to get and how she shouldn't push herself to hard her mind wandered to Lauren. She was all that seemed to be on her mind lately. That and the custody hearing she had yet to schedule. At the moment her head was a jumbled mess and all she wanted to do was sleep. She wished that the car crash was all a silly dream, and the shooting at the daycare, and Lauren's broken window that still had that stupid duct tape over it. As the Doctor left she groaned inwardly at all the things she had yet to do, including work and managing a moody Lauren all at once. Maybe she wasn't cut out to be a mom, just like everyone had said.

. . .

He couldn't help but check his watch every spare minute he had. Though the case had been open and shut, the day just seemed to drag on and on. When Gibbs had come back from the hospital they had all asked if Jenny was okay. He had nodded gruffly and ordered them back to work. But now all he wanted to do was go see her and really make sure she was okay, because honestly she didn't look okay. Something was continuing to bother her but he couldn't figure out what it was. Finally around 1600 Ziva had walked up to him when everyone else was out of the bull pen and leaned on his desk. She didn't say anything at first but he knew what she was going to say. "You are worried about her." She said more as a statement and not a question. He just looked at her curiously, not saying anything. "Why?" She asked but this time Gibbs really did not have any intention of responding. "She can take care of herself." Ziva said and Gibbs nodded slightly, just enough so she would notice it. After a moment Ziva's emotionless Mossad face turned upwards into a smirk and she got off of his desk and went back to hers. He was annoyed that she had the gall to smirk at him like that yet had an idea as to why and wanted to call her out on it just do defend himself. He did _not_ think of Jenny any more than a colleague, maybe friend, right? After all, they had an odd relationship. He didn't know what to classify them as and it wasn't really his goal in life to solidify it because honestly he wasn't sure what it was, or what he wanted it to be.

When the end of the work day came around he took some time before heading to the hospital to stop and see Abby and Ducky. He knew that the team wouldn't bother visiting Jenny in the hospital. They knew she was going to be discharged tomorrow but they also knew that all day Gibbs had been itching to get there. And they weren't about to interrupt that. Besides if they ruined a moment between them then they wouldn't know who won the long standing pool. They didn't even know how much it was up to now; last time Tony counted it was well beyond 100 dollars.

Gibbs walked into her lab just as she was shutting down all of her computers and machines. "Hey Abs." He said softly and she turned. But he was surprised when instead of being greeted by her usual goofy grin he saw her lips turn down into a frown and she practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Furrowing his brow he hugged her back but pulled away to look her in the eye. "You okay?" He asked and she pulled away from him, wringing her hands.

"No Gibbs I am not okay! The Director is in the hospital and poor little Lauren must be traumatized from the crash let alone the shooting at the day care!" She exclaimed with wide eyes. Apparently the last week had caught up to Abby and he wondered if it was to Jenny too. He sighed and pulled the Goth into another hug.

"The Director's fine Abs and Lauren had no idea what happened at the day care." He reassured her but she wasn't having any of it.

"But she got in a car crash Gibbs! Did you know that on average 25 thousand people die in car crashes each year? 25,000 Gibbs!" She exclaimed fidgeting again, something she did when she was nervous or scared. He shushed her gently and spoke in a soothing tone.

"But she didn't die Abby and she is going to be fine. Lauren is fine, everyone is fine." He reassured the Goth and she nodded slowly. "Everything is going to be okay Abby, you need to calm down and get some sleep." He said kissing her on the head as she quietly said goodbye to him. Though he was skeptical that Jenny would ever do anything like that he hoped that she did express the stress that she was feeling, because if anyone needed a release it was her. As he walked to Autopsy he thought about how she had been acting over the course of the week. Though her daughter definitely brightened her day she seemed tense and worked up. Hopefully he could get her to open up, and then maybe she would feel better. However the more he thought about it the more he realized how hypocritical that sounded. He wouldn't want Jenny to tell him that talking about it would make him feel better. If Jenny would have said that to him when Maddie Tyler had walked back into his life he would have been extremely mad at her. But all he wanted was her to feel better because he liked seeing her happy. And as cliché as it sounded his mood usually reflected hers and all he wanted was to see her happy, even if he wasn't. He didn't really realize what he had just silently admitted to until the swish of the autopsy doors brought him out of his thoughts. And he froze, not believing that subconsciously he had actually admitted that. He never had, out loud _or_ in his head. Even when they were in Paris he couldn't bring himself to because he knew everything would go back to the way it was once they got back to the states. Though he didn't know or, at the time, realize that she wasn't coming back with him. Maybe if he had known that he wouldn't see her for six years after that then he would have told her what he had been feeling all along, maybe something he still does.

Ducky saw him and smiled. "Hello Jethro, I didn't expect you down here. I thought you would be with Jenny." He said offering him a chair. He declined as politely as he could.

"Nah I'll just be quick, wanted to ask you about her." He said and the doctor raised an eyebrow but waited for Gibbs to proceed. "She talk to you about Lauren lately?" He asked curiously and Ducky furrowed his brow in confusion.

"No why?" He asked and Gibbs shrugged.

"You know she's trying to keep her right?" He asked and Ducky nodded. When Gibbs didn't say anything more Ducky was left to his own conclusions.

"You think Jenny has some kind of obsession with this?" He asked the silver haired agent who kept his face blank.

"Explains why she crashed her car trying to organize Lauren's custody hearing." He said and Ducky sighed and thought for a moment.

"Are you going to see her?" He asked and Gibbs nodded. "Well maybe you should talk to her about it Jethro." The ME suggested.

"I don't know how!" He suddenly exclaimed angrily and Ducky jumped at his sudden shift in emotion. "Every time I try and bring it up she gets defensive and won't talk to me!" He yelled.

"Wean her into it. Talk to her when she knows she's safe." He said wisely.

. . .

She was starting to get extremely tired. Snuggled up safe in her mother's side she felt warm and strangely at home even though her aunt felt like a mom and her mom felt like an aunt. She was watching cartoons but the screen was getting harder and harder to focus on as she got more and more tired. Letting out a loud yawn she snuggled deeper into her sleeping mother's side. She heard her mom sigh lightly and wrap her arm tighter around her daughter. Despite the fact that her mother was still someone she had to learn to trust and accept more she smiled. Just as her eyes were about to close she saw a figure walk in the room. Immediately her eyes opened and she smiled tiredly as she saw Gibbs walk in.

He smiled at the little girl as he walked in. And seeing a sleeping Jenny and half asleep Lauren made his heart ache. He loved seeing Jenny as a mom and all he wanted to do right now was wrap both of them in a hug. As he walked over to the bed Lauren opened her arms to the federal agent and he smiled as he picked her up out of her mom's protective hold. Jenny stirred a little bit but soon fell back into a deep sleep. Gibbs positioned Lauren snuggly on his hip and brushed back her wild red hair with a gentle hand. "Hey kiddo." He said softly as she laid her head tiredly on his shoulder and put her thumb in her mouth. "You look really tired; maybe we should go to bed." He said and stubbornly she furrowed her brow and shook her head with a defiant 'no'. Gibbs chuckled and did something that surprised both himself and Lauren; he kissed the top of her head. But what surprised him even more was that Lauren just snuggled into his chest instead of pushing him away, like what he thought would happen. Smiling he rubbed her back as he set her down on the bed. "Get your things together and we'll go home and get some sleep." He said and she nodded sleepily as she got off the bed. The movement woke Jenny and she gradually opened her eyes to find Gibbs sitting down on the bed next to her. She was confused and furrowed her brow slightly as she rolled onto her back to look at him better.

Gibbs took it as a good sign that her cheeks were flushed red with sleep and that she looked alert when he talked to her so he knew he could ask her a few questions. But he was a little disappointed that she wasn't out of it enough that he could give her a quick kiss on the head before leaving. Ever since he walked in the room he had wanted to do that but he resisted because he knew she wouldn't like it. "I'm going to take Laruen to my house for the night." He said gently as he examined her face for any sign of injury he hadn't noticed earlier. She noticed him looking at her and sighed inwardly. He was always guilt tripping himself.

"Okay." She said nodding slightly. They were silent for a moment and she feared he would leave so she spoke. "Jethro I'm alright. Okay?" She asked but he didn't say anything. "It wasn't your fault." She added quietly and with a sigh he nodded.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow." He said and she nodded and watched as he got up willing him to sit back down but he didn't. She wanted to make him understand that what happened to her wasn't his fault but he was a stubborn son of a bitch and wouldn't listen anyway. As they watched Lauren gather her backpack Jenny wondered what had gotten into her. She usually left sleeping dogs to lie but this time she felt the urge to speak out and wondered why. Knowingly starting an argument was not something she took pride in but this time something different happened that she couldn't stop thinking about. What she said didn't cause any problems or start any arguments. Does that mean that things she's wanted to say for years and things she should have said, but were too cowardly, would have affected them? Would they have fewer secrets? Would they be more trustworthy of each other? One of her favorite sayings would come in handy here 'I guess we'll never know'. But the future is always a place to grow and change, maybe this was the start of something new.

**(another) A/N: lots of angst in this chapter I promise the next one will have some fluff *wink wink***


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